Azizi Eshe
by UndergroundValentine
Summary: Set six years after the events of "Dalila Runihura". Drake and Adam are still happily in love, keeping their beloved Egypt thriving and prosperous. But when threats from Persia pull two beloved people apart, all seems lost and doomed to fall to darkness.
1. Prologue

Hey guys. Just a couple of notes about this fic~

One: This is part three in the "Naeemah Baniti" series. Part one is "Naeemah Baniti", part two is "Dalila Runihura". If you have not read those two fics yet, read them now otherwise you will not have a clue what's going on. And trust me, it's worth the read (well, that's what people tell me).

Two: This fic (well, the entire series) is a _**collaboration**_ between myself and HieiTheFallen of deviantART. This chapter of "Azizi Eshe" is written by her. I, UndergroundValentine, will have all of the odd (1,3,5...) chapters, Hiei will have the even (2,4,6...). I know all that seems stupid but people have mistaken our separate chapters as being written by me and me alone, and I want you to know that's not the case. This entire series is a joined effort and without Hiei, this whole story wouldn't be possible (considering the basis of this story was her idea).

Three: The title, for those who don't know/can't remember, means "Precious Life" in Egyptian/Arabic. In truth, the titles "Naeemah Baniti" (Benevolent Teacher), "Dalila Runihura" (Gentle Destroyer), and "Azizi Eshe" (Precious Life) come from Egyptian/Arabic baby names. Just a little fun fact for you.

Four: Enjoy the ride. :)

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><p><strong>Azizi Eshe: Prologue<br>Hiei's POV**

Five months ago, like, was Hell. People were being poisoned and threatened by murder. It seemed like no one in the palace was safe and, in truth, nobody was safe. Five months ago, give or take a few days, Drake had almost been killed and, in turn, killed his attempted murderer. It was hard to believe that so many horrible things happened not too long ago when everything in life seemed to be glorious now. Adam and Drake were back to being that cute, loving and enviously-adorable couple they always had been. Tommy had gotten over his love for Drake, mostly, and had fallen in love with Alex instead. Everyone was getting back to the normal routine of everything.

Oh yeah, and today was Cassidy's and my wedding day.

After all the horrible things that had happened, Cassidy had told Adam that we wished to get married. Adam was thrilled and, if possible, Drake was even more thrilled. He insisted on helping plan the wedding and to be honest, he did most of the planning and decorating, but everything was absolutely perfect and wonderful, much more that Cassidy and I could have done. The only thing that Drake didn't do was our clothing. Cassidy did all of the work on our outfits and now Drake was helping me to get into my wedding clothes.

"Are you excited?" he asked, pulling the top over my head and pinching the fabric in the back, tight enough to hug my curves but not too tight.

"Yes, I am… I love him," I muttered softly, my stomach rolling over and over and over. I felt a little light headed and a little sick to my stomach, but I knew I was making the right decision, considering I'd never felt more alive than when I was with Cassidy, especially when we were caught in a beautiful, passionate kiss or a heated intimate scene. "I love him…" I repeated, trying to calm my stomach.

Drake smiled at me in his mirror. I was in his and the Pharaoh's chambers. Adam was off helping Cassidy get ready and he was going to escort Cassidy to the altar, shortly followed by Drake escorting me, even if he was younger than me. "It's all right to be nervous, Hiei. It is a bit… nerve wracking, but once you're up there, holding Cassidy's hand, you won't regret it," he told me, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Were you nervous when you married Pharaoh?" I whispered, sounding more like a child than I truly was. Drake nodded, still smiling softly at me. He had me sit down on the vanity's stool, turning me to face him.

"I was extremely nervous," he said to me, walking around to pull the top drawer of his vanity open. He pulled out various cosmetics, like paint for lips, eye shadow, blush, eye liner, foundation and various brushes of all sizes and thicknesses. I wasn't entirely sure if a man was supposed to have so much makeup, but Drake always looked gorgeous, so it couldn't have hurt too much to have it lying around, you know, just in case.

"And you got over it?" I asked, closing my eyes as he took a large powder brush to my cheeks, coating my face with foundation.

"I was nervous right up until I stopped at the altar and Adam took my hands. After that I was just filled with love and… I realized that nothing was going to make me happier than marrying Adam," he said and he started drawing around my eyes lightly with eyeliner. "Open your eyes for me, baby." It was funny how Drake called everyone baby, but nobody ever took it the wrong way. Drake was just loving and adorable to everyone around him. It's just who he was. It didn't take me too long to figure that out. Drake and I had gotten really close, especially over the last five months.

Opening my eyes, I looked up at him. He finished my eyeliner makeup, drawing what I was sure to be the Eye of Horus around my right eye. He set the little tube aside and picked up a pallet of eye shadows with a smaller, finer brush. "And do you ever regret your decision now?" I asked as he highlighted my eyes with a soft, shimmering red color.

"Never," he said, picking up another, bigger brush and dragging a soft pink-ish red across my cheeks, giving me a little more color. "Adam is everything I've ever hoped for and more. He makes me so happy," he said, smiling softly with a beautiful sparkle in his eyes. He picked up a red lip stain and a fine brush, painting my lips evenly. "And if you really love Cassidy as much as I know you do, then you won't regret it either."

"Is your marriage everything you wanted? Are you happy every night when you fall asleep in Adam's arms?" I asked, smiling brightly at him.

"Yes, well, mostly. It's all more than what I wanted, but my marriage isn't perfect. No marriage is perfect but it's as close as possible. Adam makes me feel so… alive and even when I'm angry with him, when I curl up in his arms at night, I'm happy and in love," he said, teasing my hair some and spraying some hair spray into it to keep it's hold. He turned me towards the mirror again. "Do you like it?" he asked. The reds of the makeup accented the white and gold design of the shear top, golden jacket and shorts that went down to my mid thighs. I kind of looked the way Drake did all the time, just more glamorized since I was getting married.

"Beautiful," I said, smiling softly and standing from the stool to hug Drake. We were about the same height, which I hated since Drake was kind of, sort of short, which made me short. "And you look beautiful too," I added. Drake blushed softly. He was dress similarly, just not as flashy. His robe hung to his mid thighs, his shorts ending at the same spot. The robe was white with a few golden details, while mine was all gold. His shorts were all white with gold trim and his cropped top was all white. His makeup were light shades of purple and blue, with the same red stain he'd used on my lips. All in all, he was much more subtle, but still extremely beautiful. His hair was even pulled up into that cute, lopsided ponytail of his. He hadn't worn that in quite some time but it was adorable and he looked so cute and innocent. Ha, that was funny. Drake innocent? Hilarious. He hadn't been innocent since the first night he came to the palace.

"You ready for this?" he asked, offering me his arm. I was sure Adam was already on his way out to the wedding with Cassidy. We originally wanted it in the gardens, but Drake came up with this beautiful design on the large stairway in the front of the palace. He'd decorated it with all sorts of tapestries and beautiful jewels. He even painted a perfect painting of Cassidy and myself for the centerpiece. The reception was going to be held in the garden and if I got my way, our love making would also take place in the garden.

"Not really, but I don't wanna wait anymore, either," I said, looping my arm through Drake's and walking out of the room with him. He led me through all of the winding halls, which, by now, I had memorized. He took me through the throne room and out to the front of the palace. Cassidy was already in place, dressed similarly to me only with reversed colors and he was breathtakingly gorgeous.

"Just remember, you love him. You'll be all right," Drake whispered to me, walking me over to where Cassidy stood, waiting at the altar. Drake held onto me until Cassidy reached out and took my hands, pulling me from Drake's hold. I blushed deeply, watching as Drake moved to the side to stand with Adam. They laced their fingers together, standing close, but I wasn't focused on them. No, I was focused on Cassidy. I couldn't believe that I was really marrying the first person I'd every loved, but Drake was right. When Cassidy took my hands and smiled his perfect white smile at me, my stomach stopped rolling and I smiled back, trying to ignore the blush that spread across his lips.

The ceremony was beautiful. We said our vows in the ancient language, which Drake had to help me learn and memorize. Cassidy gave me a ring that was similar to Adam's after he spoke his vows and then I took my turn, struggling with a few words, but managing to get it out. Cassidy never looked disappointed with me, he just smiled and squeezed my hands for reassurance. I'd never seen him look so happy…

I'd never felt so happy…

Once I'd finished my vows, Cassidy closed all the distance between us, pulling me tight against him. Our lips meshed together in a heated and loving kiss that left me a little achy but not enough to actually worry about it. His arms snaked around my waist, holding me tightly, like I was the last thing he'd ever have in this world. I hoped he didn't actually feel like that, because he had so much going for him, but it felt amazing to be so loved and cherished. I hoped that I was giving him the same emotions with my kiss.

"I love you," he muttered into my lips, one hand coming up to cup my cheek. He muttered the words "I love you" in a few languages that he mastered and I blushed frantically, returning his declarations of love. I couldn't really believe that I was married now. It only took about twenty minutes for us to go from just being in love to being husband and husband.

"Let's go have a wonderful party, baby…" I said, taking the hand that was cupping my cheeks. Drake and Adam came back over to us, hugging us both.

"Congratulations to the both of you," Adam said, kissing Cassidy's cheek and then mine. Drake was just beaming. "Come on, let's celebrate." And so we did, all throughout the night and well into the early morning. Cassidy told me that this reception was almost exactly like the one Adam and Drake had and when the crowd finally dispersed, off to make love with their own partners or just to sleep, I pulled Cassidy into an area hidden behind massive shrubbery.

"I know you wanted to marry Brad in front of that fountain…" I muttered, laying in the grass and pulling Cassidy down over me. "But I hope this wedding made you just as happy as that one would have…"

"Happier," he muttered, stripping me slowly and pressing his lips to mine. "I've never been so happy, Hiei, not even with Brad. He didn't give me what you have and I love you so much…"

"I love you too, Cass…" I muttered, kissing him back with tears leaking down my cheeks.


	2. And Though I May Know, I Don't Care

**Chapter One: And Though I May Know, I Don't Care**

**Adam's POV**

I never realized how quickly six years could go by.

It seemed like yesterday I had been watching from the distance in a hallway with my dearest and loved friend, Tommy, at my side as an old love and friend of mine was assaulted and nearly killed. Like only yesterday I nearly watched my husband, my eternal lover strike down the man who tried to tear everything away from me. And yet in all of this grief, it was like yesterday that I witnessed a marriage. A marriage that opened the doors to happier times and love.

And yet, at times, the past six years seemed to drag on as well. Meetings and councils with leaders and viziers of other countries and states for peace and benefits, this and that. Some wanted collaboration, others wanted altercation. Those meetings dragged on for forever, half the time. Often they caused arguments between myself and my own advisors, sometimes even with my husband. But never had they been enough to tear us apart.

Through it all though, if it was even possible, the love I shared with my husband, Drake, seemed to grow every single day. Every rise and set of the sun and moon brewed another strong, fresh wave of passion between us that brought us closer to one another. Every day I found something more within Drake that I fell in love with. Every night there was something about him that made my heart flutter so gentle and sweet, one could have thought I'd never been in love before.

And it was late in the morning when I'd woken up and found Drake snuggled up close to my chest, his face turned towards me with a hand spread flat and relaxed on my stomach. I smiled softly, tilting my head to press a soft kiss to his hair, tangle and messy from last night's love making. The blankets were drawn over us, hanging loosely around our hips. I trailed my fingers along Drake's shoulders and back before dropping my hand and sighing quietly.

It was hard to believe that so much time had passed between us. I could still vividly remember Drake being brought to the steps of my palace, sodden with dirt and younger than most other boys who had been brought before me to work. I remember I brushed away the dirt on his cheek with my fingers, desiring him as I had desired few before, before ushering him off with Tommy to get cleaned up and prepared. And just as vividly as the day he'd been brought to me, I could remember every event— good and bad— that had happened to or between us. We'd nearly lost each other so many times it was a miracle that we were still alive and together, truly.

But we were, and I couldn't thank the Gods more for it.

Slowly, I pulled myself away from the warmth and comforts of Drake's arms, moving gently so that I did not wake him. Drake didn't budge as I slipped from the bed, padding naked across the room and up to our vanity, where my robe was draped on the small chair. I snatched it up, tugging it on over my shoulders and tying it shut around my body before sitting down at my vanity, staring into my reflection.

The years had, amazingly enough, done little to my reflection. There were visible signs that I was not the young lad I used to be, however there were only the small and slightest of wrinkles around my mouth and eyes, and not the deep and great ones of stress and depression that I feared I would one day have. Drake's— well, mine too— mother, Roza, had said that I acquired them from smiling so much, thanks to her son. It was true. Drake made me happier than anyone else that I had ever known, apart from Tommy, Alex and Cassidy, of course.

I sat straight in the chair, grabbing a small brush and running it through my locks, tugging out the snarls and smoothing it out around my face. I ran my fingers through it a little, playing with the silky softness of it. I had a strange fondness for my hair, and for the way it felt and shined in the light. I was, really, by no means a vain person, but there were parts of me that I had a liking for. My eyes and my hair for instance. Drake, as he had often told me before, had a particular love for my arms and the way they fit around him to the freckles on my lips. I smiled softly to myself, reminiscing briefly on the number of times Drake had tried to count the spots on my mouth with his tongue.

Chuckling quietly, I pulling my hair back a little, leaning upon my elbow on the table as I stared at my reflection. The light was pooling into the room just right and a glint of something soft and bright caught my attention. I frowned a touch, running the pads of my fingers over my hair, smoothening it back against my scalp as I stared, my heart dropping a little in my chest.

"Oh. My. Ra…" I whispered, running my fingers through my hair again, gazing hard into mirror of the vanity. I couldn't believe my eyes. In all my years of ruling Egypt and dealing with hardships, nearly losing those closest to me including Drake, I had never seen this before. I tugged my fingers through again, staring hard at the roots and along my hairline, near my ears and at the top of my head.

"Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me!" I whined, folding my arms onto the table of the vanity, dropping my head on them. This couldn't have seriously been happening. This didn't happen to my father until he was well into his forties, almost fifties. Why was it happening to me now? This was meant to happen to me when I'd really reached the height of my age, not now. Ra, not now…

There was a shuffle of feet behind me and I felt warm, smooth hands sliding over my shoulders and down along my arms before coming back up, digging through my hair. I moaned quietly, relishing in his lightly callused fingers dragging against my scalp, massaging gently with tender care. Drake's lips pressed a kiss to my shoulder, smooth and sweet. I smiled a little, turning my head to look up at him as he rubbed the back of my head, running his fingers through the locks of my hair.

"What's wrong, darling?" He asked, his voice quiet and calm to my ears and I sighed, letting my eyes slip shut again. A multitude of things were wrong. Russia had been attacked by Europe, North Korea and South Korea were at it again, there were still not enough jobs for all of my people here in Egypt, and the one thing that was most heavy on my mind?

"I'm getting old." I whined. There was a bit of silence for a moment before Drake chuckled quietly, kissing my shoulders again.

"Baby, you're not old." He told me gently, running both hands through my hair again, kissing the back of my neck. I moaned again, my eyes fluttering a little as he breathed against my skin. "Why would you think you're getting old?" He asked softly, rubbing my shoulders and my neck, massaging gently.

"I have _gray hair_…" I murmured, thoroughly displeased with this fact. I hadn't noticed it before, but this morning when I had rolled out of bed, I found them tucked safely away along my hairline and in my roots, gleaming almost white in contrast to the faded-ink color of my hair. Drake cooed softly, trailing his fingers through my hair again.

"That doesn't mean you're old, baby," Drake commented gently, kissing the shell of my ear. "It just means that you have gray hair, and that's not a bad thing." I sighed softly, sitting up and looking at Drake through the mirror. He was dressed in nothing more than an embroidered silk robe, loosely tied shut around his waist and hanging off of his shoulders. His hair, still in its A-line cut but faded from the crimson is used to be to a more red-brown color, was pulled back into a messy and lopsided ponytail.

"Compared to you, my love, I am old. I'm _very_ old." I sighed softly and Drake slid his hands down over my shoulders and across my chest, folding his arms around me and resting his chin on my shoulder. He smiled warmly at me, giving me a gently squeeze. I chuckled softly, bringing a hand up to cover his.

"That's not true, Adam. You're still young and beautiful." He whispered, pressing a kiss to my cheek.

"Drake, I'm forty years old." I retaliated, and Drake shook his head, kissing my cheek again, closer to my mouth this time.

"You're not forty yet, my love. You're only thirty-nine, so don't say that." Drake had a valid point. I was only thirty-nine, but my fortieth birthday was just a week away. And the idea of turning forty scared me. Not for any particular reason, really, but it had been bad enough when I'd been in my early thirties and Drake was merely eighteen. The idea that I was getting older and older, and now I had gray hairs, and Drake was still young, beautiful and a man of twenty-seven.

"And you're not even thirty yet. I am old, Drake. I have gray hairs now, and how long will it be before I start getting wrinkles and back pains? How long will it be before I need you to help me out of bed in the morning?" I told him, leaning back into his arms. Drake sighed softly, rubbing my chest with his free hand, resting his head against mine.

"It won't be for a long time, my darling," Drake said, kissing my shoulder. "You promised me you would always be here for me, and I'm holding you to that." I chuckled softly, turning my head to face him.

"I know you are, baby. I intend to keep the promises that I make until the day I die…" I whispered and Drake frowned, touching my lips tenderly with the tips of his fingers. I puckered my lips, kissing his skin before he moved his hand, caressing my cheek.

"Baby, don't talk about that. You know I hate it when you do." He said softly and I sighed, leaning into his touch.

"I know that, my love, I know. But it's the truth. I'm not immortal, nor am I resistant to any diseases or potential wounds. I cannot escape the inevitable," I murmured, bringing my hand up to touch his face, cupping his cheek tenderly in my palm, "There will be a time where I will have to move on, Drake, into the Afterlife. You know this as well as I do." Drake frowned further, looking away and shaking his head again.

"Please, Adam, don't say that. You have years ahead of you, and—"

"And even with those years, Drake.. I'm still old. I'm going to get older, and older still. You cannot stop it." Drake sighed softly, looking back up at me with sad eyes. He did not like the idea of my death, and truth be told I was terrified of it myself, too. But it was an inevitable. "One day, I will die. And you will have to carry on with Egypt without me. You will be Pharaoh until you choose which of your brothers will succeed you. Alexander, Tommy, Cassidy, Hiei, and your family will care for you until you, too, pass on to join me in peace.."

Drake looked away again, sighing softly as I dropped my hand from his face. There was a moment of silence between us before he leaned forward, pressing a gently and warm kiss to my forehead, "If I cannot keep you from dying on me at some point in the distant future, I'll at least do you the kindness of getting rid of your grays, alright?" He said and I couldn't help but to smile as Drake reached into a small drawer in the vanity table, pulling out a small box of black hair dye.


	3. I Wish You Never Told Me

**Chapter Two: I Wish You Never Told Me, I Wish I Never Knew  
>Drake's POV<strong>

Adam and I had skipped breakfast. We had spent most of the night making love and my neck was littered with red blotches from when Adam would bite into my neck or sucked on it while pounding into me. He fucked me three times and I fucked him once. Usually I was Adam's bitch. Even though Adam and I were married and I was, technically, a king, I was still his pleasure servant. He just happened to be in love with me and I loved pleasing him, but every once in a while, he gave into wanting to be someone's bitch and I got to have my way with him. I enjoyed it, but only once in a while because I loved giving myself to Adam.

Or playing hard to get.

When Adam finally did peel himself out of bed, I reached out and grabbed his hand, tugging him back with a pout planted firmly on my lips. "Come on, baby, just spend a day in bed with me…" I muttered. It was his fortieth birthday in a few days and normally I would have made him wait until his birthday to be his little whore, but we already had plans for his birthday. We would be visiting the great pyramids- alone- so Adam could take me to meet his family. He always swore that his mother and brother would have loved me but his father probably wouldn't have, just because his father didn't really seem to love anyone. I wished I could have met his family when they were actually alive.

I wouldn't tell Adam that the idea of wandering around in booby trap infested pyramids wasn't exactly my idea of a great birthday. To be honest, I was kind of afraid, but I wouldn't deny Adam of what he wanted. He loved his mother and his brother and I understood that. If it were my family in that tomb, I would want to take Adam as well.

Not to mention, I didn't want to deny Adam anything on his birthday. Naturally I just wanted to make my lover happy, but he was having a hard time dealing with the fact that he was turning forty. My twenty-seventh birthday was a few months ago and Adam was starting to think that he was just too old, but he wasn't old at all. He was just as beautiful as he was the day I met him in his throne room, just not as intimidating because now I knew he was an over-sized teddy bear. I wished he would relax about the few gray hairs he had because he still looked youthful and full of life, and just because I was thirteen years younger than him and "still in my prime" didn't mean that I loved him any less. He'd always been thirteen years older than me. He would always be thirteen years older than me and I would always love him, even when he _was_ old and wrinkled, which he was a far cry from.

Adam sat down on the edge of the bed and he bent down to kiss my swollen lips. We didn't spend the entire night fucking the "traditional" way. I could please my husband in other ways and, unfortunately, my swollen and slight bruised lips proved that. "You know I don't want to pass up an offer like that, my boy… But, unfortunately, I have to… We can't spend all day in bed because we have a very important meeting to get to," he said, cupping my cheek in one hand, the other petting my freshly dyed, bright red hair. After I dyed Adam's hair black to get rid of the grays, I decided to redo mine as well, to make it bright and vibrant again instead of a brownish-red, which I didn't really care for. I first dyed my hair to make myself different from Alex, but now I just dyed it because I liked the red a lot better. It suited me better than the chocolate, I thought.

"Is that today? Oh man… I don't want to sit through that after last night…" I whined, sounding very much like a little kid, but I didn't care. I didn't want to go deal with politics when all I could think about was having my brains fucked out by my husband.

"You think I do? All I'll be able to think about is your gorgeous ass sticking up in my face with you dripping with need, begging me to take you," he mumbled, pressing a heated kiss into my throat, a massive blush spreading across my face. It, sadly, was true. I had stuck my ass right up in the air for Adam, begging him to fuck me the night before. I don't really know what got into me I was just so horny… And I still kind of was. I could spend the rest of the day and well into the night making love with Adam.

"Can't we just… cancel it?" I whined. I knew I should be more enthusiastic about ruling a nation; well, helping to rule a nation anyway. To be completely honest, I found politics and these meetings we spent so much time in very boring and dull. I tried to pay attention, I truly did, but I usually only succeeded for ten or twenty minutes before I started doodling on my notepad. More often than not, I started drawing Adam. I knew I should have been more worried about the important topics discussed in said meetings, but Adam was the most important thing in my life, so was it really that hard to believe that I was so distracted by him?

Adam laughed softly, shaking his head some. "Babe, you know it doesn't work like that, but if we can get this resolved quickly… we can come right back here, so come on, get up and get dressed cause I want to haul your beautiful ass right back here to make more love to you once we're done," he muttered, kissing me again and I moaned. "Maybe fuck your mouth some more swell your beautiful lips up even more…" When he pulled back, I was blushing wildly and he was smirking like a bitch with a devious plan formulating in the back of his mind.

"Mmhm… Well, why can't you mold your beautiful lips around me? Maybe they need a little swelling instead," I mumbled, kissing him gently before pushing out of the massive bed and groaning. My abdomen and my ass ached, as well as my jaw, but I couldn't complain much. Last night was totally and completely worth it.

"Well, I suppose I could do that for you, just because I love you so much and you taste so damned delicious," he muttered, following my lead and going to his own wardrobe. Adam dressed in a pair of long pants and a golden jacket with no shirt. If he could still pull that off and look fantastic, then I don't know why he was feeling so old. I dressed similarly, with a pair of white shorts that went to my mid thighs, a airy, white shirt that stopped above my belly button, exposing a beautiful ruby piercing that Tommy had talked me into doing a few weeks ago and a golden jacket with the sleeves rolled up to my elbows. We didn't do anything fancy for makeup, just some eye liner, but I covered up the hickeys as best I could before I took my husband's hand in mine.

"Let's get this over with… I want to come back in here and have you fuck me hard, again," I mused, pulling him out of the bedroom and towards the meeting/counsel room. It was just a big as our dining hall but it didn't have nearly the memories the dining hall had. Meetings were boring and good for nothing more than day dreaming and fantasizing.

Servants and workers were rushing through all of the halls, attending to their duties and chores, just like any other day. Every person we passed would bow their heads and smile. Some of the younger, newer servants looked a little scared when they saw us. Adam and I were hardly terrifying, but I could understand their logic. When I was first brought here, I was scared to the bone of Adam and his advisers (though I had been right to fear Bradley), even when there wasn't much to fear. Adam and Cassidy were warm and loving. They were nothing but kind and caring and not just to me but also to everyone who worked in the palace and the entire country of Egypt. Adam was no different now and with the exception of the case with Elijah, I was definitely not terrifying. I was five foot eight and skinny as a rod. Not too much to fear, though I was stronger than I looked.

The counsel room was on the opposite side of the palace, so it took Adam and I a decent chunk of time to reach it, but we were use to the hike of the palace. It really didn't bother either of us and if we weren't heading to what I was sure to be a completely boring meeting, I would have found the walk completely enjoyable.

"It's about time you two joined us," Alex said, his hands on his hips much like an angry diva. I just rolled my eyes and took my seat, pulling my notepad from the table and propping it up on one knee.

"Sorry, we were caught up in something much more enjoyable than this," I said bluntly. It wasn't a secret that I didn't like sitting through boring council meetings, with or without counsel from other countries. Usually if it was more than just Adam, Cassidy, Alex and myself, it was even more boring than usual. I wished I really didn't have to even sit through them. I never talked or offered my advice. I was an artist; I didn't care at all for politics. Even though I didn't contribute much, it was my duty as a king to sit through all of these painfully slow meetings.

I hated it.

"Well excuse us for interrupting your fucking session," Alex muttered. Apparently, he woke up on the wrong side of the bed. "But you have sex every night, so you can spare Cassidy and I a few hours." I just rolled my eyes again, flipping to a clean page in my pad.

"Calm down, Alex, what's wrong with you? We don't have sex every night and you don't have to sound so offended that we have a sex life," I mumbled in a light, uncaring and un-offended tone.

Alex sighed, taking a seat adjacent to me. Adam sat next to me and Cassidy sat across from Alex. We only took up about a sixth of the table, because it was made for much larger gatherings, but we were all just used to it by now. "I'm sorry… Tommy wasn't feeling too well last night, so I was up all night taking care of him and I didn't get any sleep…" Alex apologized, looking genuinely sorry.

"Is he all right?" I asked, instantly worried. Ever since Tommy came down with a case of fever, I was worried every time he got a stomachache.

"Yeah, I think he had some bad shell fish, or something. It was just a stomachache and when he finally threw up, he seemed to be fine. He's asleep now… I'm just a little crabby…" he admitted, sighing and leaning back in his chair. He looked exhausted and in need of a nice, long nap.

"If you'd rather do this meeting later, so you can get some rest, we could definitely put it off until-" I started but Adam tsk'ed at me and shook his head.

"Baby, no. We need to get this done and out of the way. Once we're finished, Alex can crash," Adam muttered, an arm looping around me. I sighed, surrendering and pouting heavily about it. Alex didn't tease me like he normally would have, but Cassidy smirked at me, seeming to bite his tongue to keep his snide comments to himself. Good thing too, cause I was already not happy to be there. It almost felt strange to have my legs pressed together because they'd been spread all night.

True enough, the meeting was just as boring as I thought it would be. After the first five minutes, I tuned out and I was doodling Adam and myself caught in a very passionate moment. My eye for detail was almost terrifying because it really looked like we were making love on the paper, but I had a one track mind and at the moment, I was thinking about being intimate with my husband. I don't really think I could be blamed for it.

Adam kept glancing at my drawing and every time he did, he would rub my thigh gently, warming the skin under his touch. I'd have to bite my lip to keep from moaning, but I somehow managed it. Fuck, when did I turn into such a needy bitch? I used to be so innocent in the ways of sex… Now I needed it from my husband, or I really couldn't function right. Holding out on him when I was angry or trying to make him wait for something special, like his birthday, was as bad for me as it was for him.

It wasn't until Cassidy said "We've got to keep an eye on Persia. Their king has been getting more and more aggressive and if we don't keep him in check, well, I think we might have a bit of a problem on our hands," that I stopped adding the fine details to my notepad and looked up, which seemed to shock everyone. Good Ra, did I really zone out so much that people noticed things like me actually paying attention?

Well, I suppose I'm not a very good king then. It was probably a really good thing that Adam was the Pharaoh and not me. I would be such a failure as the Pharaoh of Egypt. I really don't think I'd ever be able to do it, even though Adam wanted me to if- Ra forbid- something horrible happened to him, like when he was poisoned.

"Adam? You didn't tell me that Persia was any sort of threat to us… Don't you think that's something you should tell me? I mean… if I should be worried about a conflict with Persia, I think I should, at least, know about it…"

Adam frowned and looked from Cassidy to me. "Baby, Persia isn't much of a threat. Yes, their ruler is getting a little out of hand, but he's not strong enough to confront us or start a war with us. It's really not even worth worry about, so don't worry, okay, honey?" he said, cupping my face in one hand. I truly didn't believe him, but I didn't want to argue with him in front of everyone, so I just sighed and nodded some, dropping my eyes back to my drawing. I just… wasn't in the mood to finish it anymore, so I set my pen down on the table and flipped the pad closed, setting it down as well. I didn't like to think that I was out of the loop and that something bad was happening between Persia and Egypt, perhaps even worse than just "bad". Maybe I should be paying more attention in these meetings… They were just _so_ boring! Could I be blamed for not wanting to pay attention?

Okay, yeah, yeah I probably could…

The meeting concluded shortly after that. Alex went off to his and Tommy's room so he could get some much needed rest. Cassidy went to meet up with Hiei, I was sure, and Adam and I joined hands and started back towards our bedroom.

"You really should have told me there was something wrong, Adam," I said, frowning a little. I still wanted to spend the rest of my day in bed with my lover, but now I was just a little less aroused. If I needed to fear for my safety, the safety of my husband, my friend and my country, it was hard to completely forget about it for the sake of having sex, although if Adam touched me enough, I'm sure I could forget about it for a little while.

Adam sighed, pulling me through the halls. I was walking just a little slower than usual. Usually I could just keep up with Adam. Now I wasn't and I didn't really care. "Baby, I'm telling you, there's nothing to be worried about. Yes, they are acting a little… out of line, but they are a weak country. We have nothing to fear. We'll take care of it easy enough, okay?" he said to me, pulling me through the last few halls and into our bedroom. "Truly, there's nothing to worry about and, if there was, you would be the first person I would tell." Adam started pawing at my clothes, peeling them away from my body and pushing me down onto our bed.

"Now, do you want to keep talking politics or do you want to dive back into the naughty with me?" he purred, pressing himself to again me, his hips sliding between my legs, which I gladly parted for him. "There's nothing to worry about and, as promised, now that we've gotten that meeting out of the way, I'm all yours…" he muttered, kicking his pants off. "Now please let me take care of you…"

And Ra, did he… I completely forgot about Prussia, Persia… Whatever it was. It just didn't matter. All that did matter was Adam and we skipped dinner that night too. Just like I wanted, we spent the rest of the day and all of the night making love. It was almost like Adam wanted to prove he wasn't old, but then I already knew that, not that I was complaining too much about how he wanted to prove himself…


	4. I'm The Only One

**Chapter Three: Like I'm The Only One That You'll Ever Love**

**Tommy's POV**

"How are you feeling, Tommy?" Drake asked me after coming into my room. I'd been dealing with a bit of a stomachache for the past couple of days and while it was nothing to be terribly concerned about, I knew Drake didn't see it that way. Ever since I'd had that fever those several years ago, I'd been susceptible to illness a lot more than I had been in the past. But, fortunately, this wasn't one of those occasions.

"I'm doing fine, Drake," I told him, smiling softly as he sat down on the edge of my bed. There was a look of relief that seemed to cross his expression and he sighed softly, smiling down at me. My head and shoulders were propped up on several pillows so that I was laying at an angle. A large, ruby-red blanket was tossed over me, tucked around my hips. "Right now, I'm coming off of the side effects of the medicine more than anything. The ache is, more or less, gone."

Drake bit his lip, reaching forward to press his palm to my forehead, the small gold bangles on his wrists jingling some. I sighed softly, letting him estimate my temperature before he pulled away. There was a soft curl to his lips and his eyebrows were drawn together a little bit. He was always so worried that I was going to come down with another fever that, any time I got sick, he would baby me and keep me confined to my bed until he was sure that I was well enough to walk around again.

"You're warm—" he began, looking concerned, but I waved him off with my hand a sigh, letting my eyes close for a moment.

"It's the heat and the fact that you insist I be trapped under this blanket," I explained before he could finish, and Drake sighed softly as I looked back over at him. The expression hadn't changed on his face and I knew it was going to take a lot more to convince him than a few exhausted words and an equally tired smile.

"I'm just worried, Tommy. I don't want to risk you getting another fever," his voice was soft, boyish, and not that of a man of twenty-seven years of age. I nodded once, smiling a little as he reached over and took my hand in his, holding it gently. It was no surprise that Drake wanted to avoid me falling ill. When he'd first been brought to this palace so long ago, I'd been one of his first friends. I helped him adjust to his life and to the ways of passion. I was his solace and comfort through the hardest times and when I'd fallen ill the first time so soon after his wedding, he nearly fell apart.

It was unbelievable how long ago all of that really was.

"Drake, I haven't gotten a fever in over six years. I highly doubt that a little stomachache is going to suddenly put me into a coma," I chuckled lightly, but Drake just frowned even more, going from concerned to a little angry, if I wasn't mistaken.

"This isn't a laughing matter, Tommy. You treat your condition like it's nothing when it could become serious. I don't want to chance losing you. I nearly lost you once before; don't do it to me again," he snapped and I sighed softly, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Drake, if I fall ill again, I promise you the first place in line to maim me later, okay? But I'm fine, now. I'm getting better. Right now it's just the side effects of the medicines Alex has had to give me. Give or take the next day or so, I'll be back on my feet and doing well, alright?" I said and he let out a heavy breath, nodding once. I smiled again, reaching up to push his deep red locks back behind his ear, caressing his cheek.

"I won't go anywhere. I promise." Drake smiled a little, nuzzling my palm.

"You said that before and then fell into a coma," Drake murmured and I rolled my eyes a little.

"I won't this time, I swear on my life," I told him and Drake's eyes narrowed.

"Tommy," he warned and I smiled.

"You worry too much," I mumbled gently and Drake's scowl was replaced by a tender smile that kicked at my heart. He leaned down, his hair tickling my face as he pressed a gentle kiss to my lips. A moan sounded from my throat and purred in his as well before he pulled away.

"I do. But I have to these days. Adam's always complaining that he's getting old and weak and you're always getting sick. It's really only a matter of time before Cassidy and Alex start having issues and then I might as well be worrying about our entire family," Drake mumbled against my mouth and I chuckled.

"You have your own problems to deal with, My King," I whispered and Drake groaned quietly.

"I told you not to call me that," he hissed and I kissed him again.

"But it's, in all manner of speaking, my duty. You are the Pharaoh's Husband, therefore making you powerful royalty. I am merely the lover of an advisor and a pleasure servant to the Pharaohs of Egypt. It would be rather dishonorable and out-of-line for me to call you otherwise," I informed and Drake pulled back a little to look at me again.

"You always call me Drake, though. Even in the presence of others, such as Adam and my family; even near my brothers, who are all potentials for the throne when Adam and I are ill fit. In all manner of speaking, Thomas, you have dishonored yourself so many times in the last six years…" Drake smirked and I sighed.

"Well, cast me to the Underworld, then, when I am gone, for I have shamed you, My King." I told him but Drake just shook his head, kissing me again.

"Never. I am too fond of you, and thus will be requiring you for the Afterlife as well." I chuckled softly, kissing him back chastely before soft rap of knuckles sounded at the door and we pulled away to see Alex standing there, smiling a little at us. He was dressed in a pair of loose-fitting white trousers with ruby hems and a matching white shirt with sleeves that ended at his elbows. Leather and gold sandals were strapped to his feet and ankles, gold cuffs clasped around his wrists, and his eyes were lined with kohl. This was his more advisor-ly outfit, and I could only assume he'd just finished some sort of meeting with Cassidy.

"Mind if I intrude?" He asked and I shook my head as Drake sat up a little.

"Not at all. I was actually just about to leave," Drake said, slipping from the bed. I pouted a little as he stepped away, but it was quickly replaced with a smile when I looked at Alex. The brunette was smiling tenderly at the both of us. "Get some rest, Tommy, and I will see you later," Drake told me and I nodded once, watching him go as Alex took Drake's place beside me.

Alex pressed his palm to my forehead and then my cheek before smiling at me a little, "Feeling better now that Our Pharaoh's Husband has graced you with his presence?" Alex teased and I rolled my eyes, leaning into his touch.

"Indeed. But I am equally comforted with yours, if not more so, my love," I murmured gently, watching the soft and sweet flicker of love flash through Alex's ocean eyes before he kissed me softly.

"Oh, Thomas… I highly doubt that I could compare to the affections of Pharaoh's Husband," Alex murmured gently, cuddling up beside me and resting his head against my chest. I smiled a little, tucking my arm around him and holding him close and running my fingers through his chocolaty locks.

"I don't know about that, Alex.. Drake is an amazingly wonderful friend and beautiful lover when he asks it of me, but I am nothing more than a servant. For you, our pleasure is not a servant's duty to his master or anything like that. It's a lover's desire, spawned from a passion that has been brewing for years.." Alex smiled warmly, turning his head to look up at me.

"Spoken like a poet. You've still got your eloquence even when you're sick. It's adorable," I chuckled softly, pressing a kiss to Alex's hair. He hadn't changed it much over the years, maybe with the occasional trim here and there. He kept it relatively long, around his shoulders, if not a little shorter. More often than not he would pull it back into a pony tail, but on days like this where he had more business-like affairs to deal with, he kept it down.

"I'm glad I please you," I told him gently, my voice just barely over a faint whisper. Alex smiled, looking up at me with piercing blue eyes. Even after these years, he still looked a lot like Drake used to. Pale for an Egyptian with rich brown hair and brilliant blue eyes. But he was older, closer to Adam's age. While Adam was due for his fortieth birthday in a matter of days, Alex's fortieth was at least another month away.

"You do more than that, my love," he said, shifting in my arms before hovering over me a little, smiling warm and sweet, "You do so much more…" His lips ghosted over mine and I moaned quietly, bringing a hand up and curling it around the back of his neck, bringing him close for a tender kiss.

"Is that so?" I inquired and Alex chuckled quietly, nodding once as he kissed me again. His lips were soft and warm against mine, the kiss sending shivers down my spine as he reached up and cupped my cheek in his hand. His tongue slid along my bottom lip, making me moan before it passed into my mouth. He tasted sweet and tart all the same, reminding me vividly of sugar coated strawberries.

Alex's hand slid past my cheek and up into my hair, which I had recently re-dyed back to a bright and platinum-like blond. He pulled gently and I groaned, sucking hard on his tongue. Alex gasped into my lips before pulling away, earning a whine to emit from within my throat. He smirked at me, bringing his other hand up to caress my cheek.

"You're so cute when you're needy. Have I ever told you that?" He questioned, kissing me lightly again. I moaned softly, feeling my face heat up a little bit.

"I'm sure you've mentioned it once or twice.." I told him, gasping as he pressed a kiss to the side of my neck. If it wasn't for the fact that I was still bed-ridden with the occasional waves of nausea from the medicine, I would have begged him to take me. Or I would have taken him, myself. But when he pressed another kiss to my jaw and the world began to spin, Alex pulled away.

"You're shaking, Tommy," he said and I groaned. "You shouldn't push it." He warned and I huffed quietly.

"I'm getting better!" I said in protest, but he raised a hand and pressed the tips of his fingers to my lips, silencing me almost immediately.

"You are. But I want to make sure you're one-hundred percent better before you do anything, and this includes love making," I whined again behind his hand and Alex just smiled, "I'm serious, Tommy. I don't want you to overexert yourself, especially since you've been in bed for the better part of almost a week." I rolled my eyes and Alex pressed his forehead against mine, holding my face in his hands.

"Please, Tommy? Just a few more days," he said, kissing me soft and sweet, "And then I'll stay in here," another kiss, this time pressed to my throat, "with you," another, "all day." I moaned, feeling a blush creeping along my skin. "I promise." I bit my lip and smirked.

"And I can do whatever I want to you?" I questioned and Alex's eyes grew dark with what I knew to be lust.

"Anything you want." I smirked, kissing him hard.


	5. Before the Night is Through

**Chapter Four: I Don't Know Who You Think You Are but Before the Night is Through…  
>Drake's POV<strong>

Pressing another kiss to his groin, I heard him moan again and again, a little louder than before. Breakfast would be starting soon and we couldn't be late for it, since it was Adam's birthday breakfast, but it wouldn't take me half the time we had to get Adam to come.

"Baby… Drake, Ra…" he moaned, twisting and fidgeting under my touch. He was hard and he was aching but he wasn't getting the attention he wanted from me. I was only ghosting kisses, soft licks and maybe a nip here or there but I knew Adam wanted to force his dick up into my mouth. He whimpered softly, pushing his hips up to meet my lips and I just smirked, pressing a kiss to the head. "Fucking Hell, Drake, please… Please baby…"

"Not too often that you're the one begging me," I mused; gripping his hips and pushing them back down onto the mattress. "Doesn't feel too good, does it? Not getting your release even though you desperately crave it, need it even…" I smiled up at him, as innocent as I could manage, like the first day he brought me to his bed and he blinked a few times, his eyes blown black with lust and need.

"You would be the only boy in the world to make sex look innocent…" he whispered, forcing his hips up again. "Please, My Boy, you've been teasing me for over an hour… I need you…" he whined quietly, propping himself up onto his elbows. "Please…"

Smiling some more, I rested my head on his left thigh. "I think I like it when you beg, My Pharaoh… It seems right on you," I purred softly, my tongue darting out to tease the tip of his erection. A low, throaty moan fell off of his tongue and he bucked his hips forward but I didn't take him, much to his displeasure. "And being so forceful is not going to make me bend to your every whim, My Pharaoh…" I added, looking up at him with innocent, boyish eyes. "I'm not so afraid of you anymore."

"Perhaps you should be, My Boy," he muttered, sitting up fully and tangling a hand into my recently re-dyed crimson locks. He pulled tight, for just a moment, pulling a soft gasp from my lips. I used to hate having my hair pulled, mostly because of Bradley, but that had been almost ten years ago. Adam and Tommy both conditioned me to loving the feel of having my hair yanked in the middle of intimacy and I felt a rush of excitement shoot down to my erection, which, until this point, had been there but hadn't been aching. Now it was throbbing and growing rather annoying.

"Well, My Pharaoh, I am not afraid of you, even if you grab me by the hair and have your way with me," I told him, baring my teeth at him and he just smirked down at me, leaning down to kiss me hard. "Now then, maybe you should use these beautiful lips for something a little more pleasurable, hmm?" he whispered, bringing his other hand up to trace his thumb across my lips. "I want them to be swollen and beautiful for everyone at breakfast, so get to it." He gripped my hair tightly again, directing my face back to his groin.

~

"Way to go, Adam, got so horny that we're twenty minutes late for your own damned breakfast," I growled, pulling a golden robe over my shoulders. "You keep bitching about your age and getting old, but your stamina only seems to be improving. Now let's go. Nobody is going to be happy that you're so late."

Adam pulled a similar golden robe over his shoulders and he turned to me, smiling. We were dressed mostly the same, matching earrings that were an anniversary gift, one in my right ear and one in his left. We both wore shear shirts, his covering his entire torso and mine ending right above my naval, showing of a bright ruby piercing. Thankfully it didn't hurt anymore, but I wanted to kill Tommy when he talked me into it, it hurt so badly. Adam wore white pants hemmed in gold and I worse short instead. Pants were not my favorite thing, that was for sure.

"Well, maybe if you weren't so god damned beautiful, I wouldn't be so distracted," he muttered, pressing a warm kiss to my still-swollen lips. I only rolled my eyes, taking Adam's hand and tugging him out of our bedroom and down towards the dining hall which, of course, was on the far end of the opposite side of the palace.

It was about a ten, fifteen-minute walk, but we ran it. Adam had a hard time keeping up, but it wasn't because he was old, it was just because I was small and good at running. "Well, it's about fucking time you both showed up," Alex and Tommy both shouted at the same time and I sighed, walking over to my chair and sitting down.

"It's Adam's fault," I muttered, pulling my goblet of wine towards me. "And you can't be that angry. He is the birthday boy, after all…"

Cassidy smirked some. "Yes, the big four-zero today, huh Adam? How does it feel?" he asked, watching Adam sit down. Adam, at first, looked miserable and upset but then he smirked back at Cass and I prayed he wasn't going to say something like 'well considering I just fucked a beautiful boy's mouth twice and his ass once, I'd say pretty fucking good'. He wouldn't say something like that with my mother and siblings sitting at the table, I hoped.

"I dunno, Cass, why don't you tell me in ten days when you'll be joining me and then Alex about a month after that… You'll figure it out," Adam muttered, winking at Cass who- along with Alex- had gone crimson.

"All right, boys, stop teasing each other and wish Adam a happy birthday," Tommy said, rolling his eyes. At least one person understands my position, unlike everyone else. Adam was already insecure enough about getting older. People didn't need to make it worse by teasing him. "Happy birthday, Adam. Don't listen to them; you're still young and beautiful. I imagine that's why you and Drake were locked up in your bedroom for so long…" I blushed a little but Adam just smirked some, kissing my forehead again.

"Thank you, Thomas, that's enough," Adam said and everyone muttered their "happy birthday" wishes to him. He got a few gifts from around the table, beautiful necklaces and jewels and even a book or journal or something from my mother, probably with some cutesy note in it.

Breakfast was enjoyable and fun, other than everyone who was teasing Adam about being old. I wanted to punch someone because if Adam had another one of his breakdowns, I wasn't going to be happy.

"Well we better be off if we want to get back at a decent hour tonight, darling," Adam said, putting a warm and inviting hand on my thigh and unlike an hour ago, when Adam had me pinned to our bed, fucking me so hard and deep, I thought he was going to come out my mouth, he was only warm and comforting, like we were just cuddling.

"All right, baby," I muttered, leaning into his hold. "But I get to drive." Adam chuckled softly and stood up, pulling me to my feet by my hands.

"All right, whatever you'd like, darling," he whispered softly. "We'll be out till dark, but we'll be back at a decent hour," he told everyone else and we left the dining hall, waving at them all as we left. We took the massive staircase in front of the throne room down to the city where there was a motorcycle waiting for us. Adam's guards insisted they come with us, but Adam repeated said no, with an argument of what danger would we find in a pyramid? He claimed he knew all the traps just fine and that he was more than capable of taking care of himself and his husband.

As promised, I got to drive and Adam sat behind me, his arms secured tightly around my waist and his head resting between my shoulder blades. If I wasn't mistaken, he was scared, but I was actually very skilled with driving motorcycles. It was a recent hobby I took up when I actually had the time. It didn't take long to learn, really and we were at the Great Pyramids in under an hour. The palace wasn't that far, but it would have taken anyone else at least double my time.

Adam climbed off the bike once I turned off the ignition and kicked the kickstand down. "My gods, Drake," he muttered, reaching to unclasp the strap under my chin to pull my helmet off. He set it down and tucked a finger under my chin, lifting my head up a little. "Just when I thought you couldn't get anymore sexy, you prove me wrong," he whispered and he bent over, pressing a heated kiss to my lips. "Let's go inside before you get too burnt…" he whispered against my lips and I rolled my eyes.

"Just because I'm paler than you doesn't mean that I'm going to burn," I groaned, getting off the motorcycle and taking his hand. He pulled me towards the entrance to the largest pyramid and I really just hoped this visit wouldn't be too long. The idea still gave me the chills, but I wasn't going to deny Adam a visit to his family. He had to put up with my family every single day, but I never really got to spend time with his family, seeing as they were all deceased before I came along.

Adam guided me through the door and down a large hall that was probably the main corridor. "Are these pyramids really… filled with booby traps and things like that?" I asked, holding tight to his hand and staying as close as I could without the both of us tripping. Adam took one of the torches off the wall to lead us with and we slowly walked down the brick stone hall, hieroglyphics covered the walls, mostly telling stories of our great pharaoh's and their accomplishments. Some showed gruesome and startling deaths. Homicides and murders painted for some of our kings and a sickening feeling rose up into my stomach.

If something like that ever happened to Adam… I didn't think I would be able to handle it.

"Yes, to protect the tombs from grave robbers, but don't worry much, baby," he told me, kissing my forehead. "I know my way around all of the traps. All royals do, because this is their family…" He let go of my hand for a moment and took a few steps forward and on the fourth step, gallons of water shot out of the floor like a backwards waterfall, soaking him to the bone.

"You know all the traps, huh?" I asked, taking a few steps back. "I'm not going in there. Fuck no." Adam sighed, ringing his jacket out some.

"Baby, I promise, you'll be fine. Please come on," he said, holding a hand out to me. "I want you to meet my family, please?" His eyes were wide, sparkling and hopeful and I sighed deeply, reaching out to take his hand. I couldn't say no when he was looking at me like that.

"If you get me killed, Adam, I swear on the Gods I will kick your ass in the Afterlife," I promised and he laughed, smiling at me and dropping the torch that had been put out by the gush of water. He took another one off the wall and started to pull me through the corridor again.

"It's a deal, Boo," he whispered and he lead me through winding halls, pointing things of interest out and telling me to be careful while walking around some of the booby traps that we were walking over or around. There were massive mounds of gold and treasures in some halls and giant statues of Egypt Gods in others, the most popular on being Anubis. All of the Anubis statues were holding large plates in their outstretched arms, fire blazing within the plate.

The thing I noticed most was that the inside of the pyramid looked very well kept. It wasn't spotless, but it wasn't filthy either, like someone came in specifically to keep it clean. "Are there tomb keepers as well, Adam?" I asked, sweeping my hand along a beautiful story of a Pharaoh who fell in love with his servant. It made me smile simply because it reminded me so much of Adam.

"Yes, there are. Some of the tunnels we've passed lead to the tomb keeper's homes. They are sealed off when not being used so others can't raid their homes and get into the pyramids. They don't live underground though. They have very normal lives and they only come into the pyramids once or twice a month to clean up, make sure the traps are working and to make sure that no one has been in here that isn't supposed to be," he explained and pointed to a narrow passageway across the hall from us. "I believe that is a tomb keeper passage way, right there."

"Interesting…" I muttered and he smiled, turning another corner. We walked for a few more minutes and then we walked through an arch that lead into a massive chamber. Across the room, I could see a sarcophagus standing straight up against the wall but it was rather on the small side. Jewels, gold, pots and coins littered the floor everyone and the walls were covered in paintings of a boy with what looked to be his older brother or friend and then coming down with fever and eventually dying.

"This is Neil's tomb, isn't it?" I asked quietly and Adam nodded some, taking me towards the sarcophagus.

"He was so much like Hayden… You would have loved him and he you," Adam said softly and he rested one hand on the tomb, tears welling in his eyes. "Hey baby brother…" he whispered and I smiled softly, watching him talk to the coffin like his brother was still alive. It would have been like me with Anna…

After a few minutes, Adam took my hand in his again. "Come on, I want you to meet my mother," he whispered, pressing a kiss to my temple. I cupped his cheek with my free hand, brushing his tears away, kissing his lips gently.

"Baby, it's all right… It's okay," I whispered; kissing him again and again, just gentle sweeps and teases of lips against lips. "Let's go meet your mother, okay? I want to know her," I added and he smiled at me, cupping my cheek like I was cupping his.

"All right, honey," he said softly and he pulled me towards another arch in the room. It opened to an even bigger room filled with more jewels and treasures than Neil's chamber had been filled with. Adam had a content smile on his face, tears still brimming in his eyes. "This is my mother…" he whispered after several long moments of us standing in front of the sarcophagus that held Adam's mom.

I held his hand tightly, squeezing it to reassure him that everything was going to be all right, even when more tears started to roll down his cheeks. "She would have loved you, Drake… I only wish she got to meet you before she passed away," he said to me. I leaned against him even though his clothes were still slightly damp.

"What was she like?" I asked him softly. "Your mother?"

"Well…" Adam started, a soft smile touching his lips. "She was actually a lot like your mother, Drake. Sweet, beautiful and big hearted. She always put her family and her friends in front of herself and she was always worrying even when she didn't need to. Rosa reminds me so much of my own mother, they could be sisters, or the same person, really. I think that's why I've grown so attached to her…"

I smiled softly, reaching out to touch the coffin. "She sounds so wonderful…" I whispered softly and Adam nodded, hugging me with one arm and putting a hand over mine with the other on his mother's grave. We stood there in a warm silence for a long while but eventually I pulled away from him. "I'll give you and your mother some time alone, all right? Just call when you're ready for me."

He smiled and nodded softly, wiping away some tears. "I love you, Drake," he said softly, kissing my lips gently. I couldn't help the little moan that came out of my throat.

"I love you too, Adam," I whispered and smiled up at him before walking off to look around the chamber so Adam could be with his mother for a while. I heard him muttering to her like she was still there and it made my heart ache a little, both for Adam and for Anna.

I walked to the far end of the tomb, examining little things here and there until I stepped on a tile that seemed to crack under my weight and then fall underneath me. I lost my balance, tripping through a small archway in front of me and by the time I was pushing myself back up, the arch was closing and the room was being encased in darkness.

"Adam… Adam!" I shouted, launching myself forward but I couldn't get to the archway in time before the entire thing was closed, leaving me in pitch-blackness. "Adam!" I shouted again, pounding on the wall but it wouldn't budge. All I could actually hear from the other side was a struggled and worried _"Drake?"_


	6. I Won't Be Here Tomorrow

**Chapter Five: I Won't Be Here Tomorrow  
>Adam's POV<strong>

Drake pulled away from me to give me some time to my mother, and I smiled softly as I turned back. The gold and jewel tones of her holding place shimmered in the soft, warm light. I reached out slowly, pressing my palm to the smooth, cool surface. Tears stung my eyes as my smile lingered for a moment longer as I whispered to the coffin, "Hey, Momma…"

My heart cracked a little in my chest. It had been so many years since she passed. She died when I was twenty five, and now that I was forty… It seemed strange. I never thought my mother would have died when I was so young. She hadn't been much older than me. Her and my father both were in their late teen years when they'd married and conceived me. Loved so young, died just so…

"It's strange, Momma… Having you gone… Roza— Drake's mother— is just like you. She's beautiful and wonderful and every time I see her I think of you. She loves me just like you did. It's almost like you never left… Sometimes I have to wonder if maybe you had a twin sister than no one knew of. But you, Momma, were rich like Father. Roza's a hard-worked woman of a small village… But she's just like you," I said gently, giggling a little.

"You would have liked Drake, my husband… He reminded me so much of Alexander when he was first brought to me. I cherished him like Alex… But I grew to love him just the way he should be… He's.. He's my everything, Momma. He's my heart and my soul and everything I need and want in a lover…" I closed my eyes to hold back the tears, but I couldn't help it. A few trickled down my face and I shivered a little.

"I miss you, Momma… I miss you so much every day. Trying to rule this country with you and Father and Neil is just… It's so much harder than I thought it would have been. Half the time I don't even know if I'm making the right choices or if I'm doing the best things for my people, but everyone tells me I'm wonderful. Everyone praises me for being a loving and caring Pharaoh and taking care of my people.

"Am I a good Pharaoh, Momma? You're up there in the Afterlife and looking down at me. Am I doing the right thing? Sometimes I feel like I'm not and I just… I need to know, Momma… Am I doing alright or is there something wrong?" No sooner had I spoken that I heard it.

The soft crack of stone breaking under pressure and weight caught my attention, but the startled shout and the grind of stone was what made me turn away from my mother's sarcophagus. My hair flung around my face and I watched, the seconds dragging on for forever, as Drake tumbled through a secret archway that had slid open in the wall, swallowing him into the darkness. I moved a step, reaching out towards the arch, but it began to close. Before I could even take another step, it had sealed shut.

"Adam!Adam!" I heard Drake's voice, soft and distant behind the wall. I was frozen to my spot, my heart skipping beats as I stared mindlessly at the wall. The solid wall. There didn't seem to be any cracks or crevices that indicated it was a secret door. There was nothing but wall and murals and hieroglyphics and Drake's dull pounding from the other side. "_Adam!_"

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't even really think as I faltered forward a step before charging across the room. I slammed against the wall, feeling for where I had seen the cracks before they disappeared. I glanced down at the floor, looking for the tile that activated the door. There was a crushed square about one foot wide. The tile was shattered and sunk into the floor. The mechanism must have been so old that it couldn't handle even Drake's slight weight and shattered.

I stepped onto the shards, hoping to reactivate the door, but nothing happened. Whimpering, I stomped on it before looking up to the wall again, pressing my hands into the stone, trying to move it. "_Drake?_" I howled as loud as I could, hoping that he would be able to hear me. If I could hear him, surely… Surely, he would be able to hear me talking back to him.

"Adam! Help!" Drake shouted back to me. A soft whimper fell from my lips again and I pressed my shoulder to the wall, trying to get it to move. I pulled back and slammed into it, gritting my teeth as my shoulder collided with stone. I must have repeated this ten or more times, but the wall was solid. My shoulder was aching and it was surely bruised, but I couldn't care. Drake was trapped behind a secret door that wouldn't open, and I wasn't sure what kinds of traps were on the other side.

"Drake? Drake, can you hear me alright?" I called to him, leaning close to the wall. My nerves were shot and my mind was racing. I felt like I was on fire with worry and fear.

"Yeah! Barely!" Oh, Gods… Drake's voice was so muted from the stone. It was truly a wonder that I could hear him at all through it.

"Can you see anything, Drake?" My heart was skipping several beats. Is this how my father felt when he suffered a heart attack? This skipped beats and this fear and worry? I clutched my shirt, right over my heart, trying to breathe normally.

"No! It's so dark in here I can't see my own hands in front of my face!" Resting my forehead against the wall, I tried to think. He couldn't see anything. He could barely hear me. Part of me wanted to tell him to feel around and see if he couldn't find another door, but I couldn't risk him coming across a trap and getting hurt… Or possibly… Biting my lip, I forced the thought away. I wouldn't think like that. I couldn't.

"Alright… I'm gonna see if I can't find a way to get you out! Just.. don't move! I don't know what traps are in there, if any at all!" My throat was beginning to hurt from how much shouting I was doing, but I needed to make sure that Drake could hear me as best as possible.

"Okay! Please, hurry, Adam!" Drake begged. I shivered a little, willing the door to shift and open, but no matter how long I seemed to stand there and pray to the Gods, it was solid and still. It showed no signs of movement at all. Gritting my teeth, I pushed off from the wall, racing out of the chamber and down the hall. I dragged my hands along the stone walls, feeling for any kind of budge or movement.

I curved around a corner, calling for Drake, but I couldn't hear a thing other than my own words echoing down the halls and ringing through the chambers. My heart was thrashing in my chest both from exertion and fear as I ran up and down halls and corridors, screaming Drake's name. Drake— my beloved husband— was locked in some pitch black and unknown chamber… What if I couldn't… No, that was preposterous. I _needed_ to find him.

Pushing off from a wall, I sprinted down around another corner, trying to look for any kinds of clues in the walls to open the chamber. Along with past events and old wise sayings, there were a few clues set within stories that told how to get passed traps and into secret chambers. Of course, though, they were buried deep within the most obscure stories and legends, and often on the complete opposite side of the pyramid from the trap or chamber they were connected with.

Gasping softly, I came to a stop against an archway leading towards a hall that would take me down to my father's burial chamber. My heart was racing too fast and my lungs felt like they were going to collapse. I was still relatively near to my mother's chamber, but the number of hallways I had run through had been rather extensive. Clutching my ribs on the left side, I leaned against the archway, panting heavily. I wasn't as young and fit as I had been ten years ago, that was for sure.

Trying to catch my breath, the moment where Drake tumbled through the arch played over and over in my mind and all I could think of was how I wasn't able to reach him in time. Gulping softly, I pictured of an image of Bradley's face and the last time I was unable to help Drake. Chills coursed down my spine and rattled my bones within me, making me shake violently. My knees wobbled and I had to cling to the wall for support to keep from falling over entirely.

Oh, Gods… What if I wasn't able to save Drake? What if he was stuck in there until I ran to get help? What if he tried to find a way out and got caught in a trap? Traps… Images filled my head of water gushing and flooding the room, flames dancing and licking their way up the walls, poisonous gas suffocating him, needles flying out from the ceiling and penetrating him… Tears stung my eyes at these thoughts.

"Gods, Drake…" I whimpered, shaking. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry, but I'm going to get you out. I promise you. I promise I'll get you out." But how? How would I get him out? None of the clues that I could remember seeing in the walls and seeing from my childhood indicated how to open the wall. The tile that triggered the switch was the only thing that I could think of, but it had shattered when Drake stepped on it. It was useless at this point.

Groaning heavily, I ran my fingers through my sweaty hair. No other clues and a smashed tile… I froze, staring over at a mural from my childhood. It showed images of myself and Neil when we were younger breaking glass pots and being scolded by our father. In our hands were these large clubs that we used to own… Smashed. Clubs…

Charging down to my father's chamber, I looked around for anything large and heavy enough that I could get a grip on. Breathing heavily, I whipped around and saw a large solid gold rod nestled in a corner. Muttering a soft apology and a prayer for forgiveness, I hurried to it and snatched it free from its stand, turning and sprinting from the chamber.

Racing down the halls with a large and heavy golden rod was a little harder than I gave it credit for, but I couldn't find myself to care. My only real concerns were getting back to Drake in time and making sure that I didn't gouge out my eyes or internal organs with the ends of the rod.

Turning a corner, I flew passed the familiar murals and etchings that painted my mother's childhood and life with my father. I knew I was getting closer to her chamber and that it was only a matter of moments. I slowed to a fast paced walk to catch my breath, calling out for Drake again as I neared the chamber. I could faintly make out his voice calling back to me, scared and strained. My heart lurched in my chest as I rounded the arch that led into her chamber.

The torches burned brightly and I took three long strides towards the wall, pressing my free hand flat against it. "Drake! I'm going to get you out! Stand back from the wall, okay?" I waited a moment, holding my ear to the wall before hearing Drake's soft "okay, ready!" from the other side. I took a step back, clutching the rod in both hands like a bat. Biting my lip, I reared back and swung, hitting the wall as hard as I could.

The vibrations shot up my arms and I dropped the rod as my hands throbbed with shot nerves. For a moment I feared that it hadn't worked. I feared that I had raced across the pyramid maze for a golden rod and nothing to show for it. But when I stood back up and glanced to the wall, I saw a long and deep looking crack about two or three feet long from where I had struck it with the rod.

Grinning, I snatched the rod back up, changing my grip so that it was firm but not too tight and I swung again, slamming it against the wall. I was reminded, for a moment, of walking in one Drake shattering the statue I'd made for Alexander. Clenching my jaw, I swung again, relishing in the sound of the stone wall cracking a little more.

Gasping, I swung the rod again, hitting the stone over and over as hard as I could. A small hole began to appear and the more I hit it, the more it grew. Grunting loudly, I swung one more time, creating a decent sized hole about the size of my face. The surrounding stones were loose and cracking, tumbling down to the floor a little. Dropping the rod, I rushed over to the hole, digging my fingers into the looser stones, pulling them down.

Drake's footsteps sounded before he came to the other side of the wall. He reached out, tears on his face and streaking through some dust on his cheeks, grabbing hold of me. He was whimpering and shaking, looking relieved and frightened at the same time. His hand slid up along my arm and curled around my neck, pulling me as close as the wall and the size of the hole would allow.

"Shh, I'm here, I'm here.." I told him. The hole wasn't large enough for him to climb through. Hell, it wasn't even large enough for him to comfortably get his head through. But it was enough that I could see his face and I could reach in and touch him.

"Gods, Adam…" He whimpered. I took hold of his hand from the back of my neck, kissing it gently.

"I'm here. It's okay, I'm here. I've got you and I'm not going anywhere.."

I wish now that I had been more observant of the moment. That I had taken the time to look down the halls as I raced through them for the signs that would have shown me something was wrong. That something was amiss. But I hadn't. I hadn't because I was so caught up in getting back to Drake. I was so wrapped up in breaking down the wall to save him that I didn't see them.

Hands curled around my shoulders, pulling me back from Drake. I yelped softly, bucking and thrashing at the offending parts. Another pair of hands curled around my wrists as arms looped around my chest, pulling me further from the cracked wall. Drake's eyes were wide and bright in the light, but he'd taken a step back from the hole, almost as if he were hiding.

"Let go of me!" I howled, swinging and thrashing wildly. I caught a glimpse of about five men in black clothes and masks on their faces, trying to shove me down and tie me up. Growling and baring my teeth, I kicked, clawed and punched at them as violently as I could. One man grabbed hold of my arm and twisted it behind my back, but I twisted and tugged against him. "Let go!"

"Adam!" Drake called. Fortunately, none of the men were focused on him, they all had their attention on me. They shouted something at one another in a language that was both foreign and frighteningly familiar. One of them clocked me in the back of my shoulder and kicked at my calf, sending me crying out as I crashed to the floor. Groaning, I thrashed as they tried to hold me down. Drake was calling to me again from his place behind the wall, but I couldn't see him anymore.

"Stop! Get off!" Two men held my arms down while another knelt down on my thighs, pinning me to the floor. I bucked and squirmed as much as I could, snarling and shouting curses at them in the ancient language. The last two men knelt down on either side of me, ripping the sleeves of my shirt open. I screamed at them, kicking the man off of my legs and thrashing as hard as possible before I felt the stabs of needles breaking into my skin.

"_GET! OFF!_" I roared, prying one arm free. The needle snapped before whatever it was they wanted to inject managed to get into my blood. I swung, curling my hand into a fist and slamming it into one man's face before a searing cold rush flooded my trapped arm. I howled again, clawing at the other two who still had me partially pinned. The cold was rushing through my body, up through my neck and down my chest.

Shivering, I tried to fight them off, but I found myself getting weaker and weaker by the moment. As if whatever they had shot into my system was mobilizing me. One man pressed his knees to my chest, forcing all of the air from my lungs as he covered my head with a thick black bag, synching it loosely around my neck. I swung weak punches at him but my arms were held down I was rolled over so that my chest was pressed into the firm tile of the chamber as my arms were pulled behind my back and my wrists were bound.

The men kept murmuring to one another in their language. I recognized a few words here and there, but in my drugged state it was hard to recognize them. I felt myself get pulled up sort of on my feet, but I wasn't stable enough to walk. I could faintly hear Drake's soft whimpers and I knew he was trying to stay hidden as best as he could. Beneath the bag, my vision was blurry and my eyelids were drooping. I couldn't move any part of me, I couldn't make a sound. I couldn't fight as I was dragged from the chamber. I could only think. And my thoughts were screaming that I was a failure. I had failed Drake again… And I had broken yet another promise…

_I'm not going anywhere…_


	7. Kill the King Upon His Throne

**Chapter Six: When Punk-tius Comes to Kill the King Upon His Throne  
>Drake's POV<strong>

Watching those men pull Adam up to his feet to drag him away made tears spring up into my eyes and anger pump through my veins. Even if I could have gotten out of the room, what would I have been able to do? Adam was much bigger than I was and even he couldn't fight them all off. I didn't have any sort of weapon, so I would literally crumble under their force.

I was ashamed, but I stood back, staying hidden until the soldiers or whatever they were, were dragging Adam away with his wrists bound and a black bag pulled over his head. I stepped forward, watching them and one turned back to look me in the eye. I wanted to step back and hide again, but what exactly would that help. They already knew that I was here. Hiding wasn't going to help me anymore.

The one staring at me turned to the man who seemed to be a little older, probably the leader of the group. He muttered something in a language that I didn't understand and then asked. "Should we take that one, too?" he asked, nudging his head in my direction. My eyes widened a little, fear settling in the pit of my stomach. I was terrified of them taking me, but if they took Adam without me? I believe I was more afraid of living without Adam…

The older man turned to look at me and he smirked a little. "He's very beautiful and we could get some use out of him, but we don't have the time," he said. Hearing that made Adam fight again, trying desperately to squirm out of their hold, but he was just too weak from whatever they injected him with. Part of me knew that he was thinking about Bradley, when he'd raped me and I didn't tell Adam. The thought of these men doing the same thing to me obviously angered him more than they anticipated.

"But sir…" another man said, looking at me as well. "Don't you think—"

"No, we don't have the time to deal with him. Besides, he isn't a threat to us," the leader said and turned away from both his team and me. "He'll probably rot down here anyway. We must go." He started barking orders in that language I didn't really understand but it sounded familiar to me, eerily so.

I swore then that I would make that son of a bitch regret every word that just fell from his lips. I would become the biggest threat in his life and whoever he was working for as well.

They turned away from me completely, mumbling to each other and they started dragging out of his mother's burial room. "_Adam!_" I shouted, punching the wall. Several loose stones rolled down the wall, but punching the wall was probably not the smartest thing I could have done. The soldiers ignored me and in a matter of seconds, they were gone with my husband and I felt my heart start to ice over.

What if they killed him? What did they even want with him in the first place? Sure, he was the Pharaoh of Egypt and a very powerful man but kidnapping him would accomplish little besides a war. What were they going to do to him? Torture him? Lock him up like he was some sort of rabid dog? Beat him? Rape him? What if they did all those horrible things and his body just couldn't take it? What if they abused him so much, he just died?

Images of the dungeon Brad had been kept in up to the time of his execution flashed through my mind, only it wasn't Bradley would had been attacked and raped by other prisoners, it was Adam, with his arms wrapped tightly around himself and curled up into a little ball. Old blood caked along his head and neck and new blood seeping through his filthy trousers.

"Adam…!" I choked, pulling my hand away from the wall. My knuckles ached and the light flooding in from the burial room was enough to let me see the damage to my hand. My knuckles were bruised and covered in blood. I could bend my fingers but it hurt and I knew I split a couple of my knuckles, if not all of them.

I was starting to feel completely helpless. I was stuck behind a wall in a room that seemed to lead to no where, but even if I got out of this god damned room, I wouldn't know where all the traps were that I needed to stay away from and I didn't even know how to get out of this pyramid. It was one giant maze full of booby traps and I wasn't very good at mazes, period, especially not ones that I could potentially die in.

But if I didn't try something, I might as well have handed Adam over to those men on a silver platter myself. I could not live with myself if I did absolutely nothing, so I did the only thing I could think of. Despite my aching hand and bloodied knuckles, I began digging at the wall, pulling loose stones down from the hole Adam created with that rod. I wish he'd left the rod in the hole so I could have used that. It would have been so much easier than the mini demolition with my fingers, but my hands were the only tools I had.

Stone after stone fell to the floor, some landing on my feet and some clattering loudly to the floor, ringing through the room and leaving my hears ringing a little in the silence of the room. The only sounds were my ragged breathing and the sound of small and large stones falling to the ground.

For a while, it seemed like I was working forever with nothing to show for it, but there came a point when I just had to take a step back. My feet ached from standing on solid stone for so long in sandals with no arch support. My arms felt like they were on fire from pulling down heavy stones and my right had was throbbing and burning from when I punched the wall. I felt like I couldn't breath and I had nothing to quench my thirst.

Perhaps this day trip wasn't as well planned out as Adam and I first thought…

When I actually took a step back and examined my work, my heart fluttered a little. The hole was still fairly small, but I was small too and it wouldn't be comfortable, but I could squeeze myself through it with a little work.

I didn't know how long I'd been working the hole open, so I figured I really didn't have any time to waste. I pushed a few large rocks that fell up against the wall and climbed up on them, hooking my fingers on the other side of the opening and pulling myself up. My head fit through fine but my shoulders were brushing the very edges of the opening. The jagged rocks tore my gold jacket open and scrapped across my skin, but I couldn't stop. I had to get to Adam.

Once my shoulders were past the opening, the rest of my body squeezed out pretty well. Since I was wearing shorts, the stones scrapped across my exposed thighs and calves, but it wasn't anything near as bad as my knuckles or my shoulders, which were bleeding freely.

Tumbling forward from the wall, I ended up landing on an elbow, which hurt like Hell. Vibration shot up my bone and up into my shoulder, but I had to ignore it. I needed to get to Adam straight away. I didn't have time to care about my pain; I could deal with it later, once Adam was safe in the palace with me.

Grabbing the rod Adam had been using to break through the wall, I pushed myself up to my feet and started out of the tomb, holding the rod tight in my hands and close to myself. It was the only thing I could really think of to use as a weapon and I didn't have the time to be picky. It was heavy and hard to run with. My injuries weren't exactly helping my task, but adrenalin pumped through my veins, pushing me forward.

"ADAM?" I shouted, running through Neil's burial chambers and into the hall, turning the general direction we'd come in from. I could only pray to the Gods that my memory didn't fail me. I had to remember where to turn and what areas Adam had said to avoid because of traps. I was shaking violently, but I didn't let it stop me. I kept pushing, kept running. I had to, I couldn't stop. "_ADAM_?" I shouted again, tears stinging my eyes as I rounded another corner and then another. I was beginning to feel that I was going the wrong way but I hoped that it was more paranoia that laps in my memory.

Suddenly I heard faint footsteps and they were growing louder, coming towards me. My grip on the bar tightened and I stood my ground, lifting the bar, holding like a bat, much like Adam had when he was trying to break through the wall. Someone rounded the corner and I was ready to swing the bat at him or her, as hard as I could, but then his beautiful, chocolate eyes came into vision.

"Drake?" he asked, coming up to me and I loosened my grip on rod, staring at him like he was a gift from the Gods. "Drake, what on Earth are you doing?" he asked, a frown tugging at his girlish, plump lips. "Holy Ra, what happened to you?" His eyes lingered on the bat, before staring at my bloodied hand and then my torn up shoulders. Finally he looked at the cuts and scrapes on my legs and his eyes wet a little wide. "Holy shit, did you fall into a trap?" he asked, worry clear on his face.

"No—I mean, yeah, I fell through a hidden door that closed on me, but it didn't hurt me. Getting out of the room was what hurt me," I said, dropping the rod to my side, breathing heavily. "What are you doing here?" I asked after a minute, panting lightly.

"Well it was almost midnight when I left the palace. Everyone was worried about you guys so I said I would come out and see what was going on. I found your motorcycle outside knocked over and completely destroyed," he explained. Past midnight? Adam and I got here at mid day, how had so much time passed already? "Where's Adam?" he asked after a minute and I bit my lip, looking away. "Drake, where's Adam?"

Tears swelled in my eyes. "I don't know. When I fell through that door, Adam went to find a way to get me out and he came back with this," I explained, lifting the rod a little. "He managed to get a hole in the wall, about the size of my face, but then these guys came into the chambers and they attacked Adam. They injected him with something that made him weak and unable to fight and they tied him up and dragged him off… I dunno how long ago that was. I was trying to get the hole open enough for me to squeeze through it, which is why I look like I've been to Hell and back and then I came out here, hoping I could catch up to them, but apparently my sense of time has been distorted since we came in here…"

Tommy's eyes widened and he stepped forward, wrapping his arms tightly around me, mindful of my wounded shoulders. "Oh my Ra… Do you know who the men were?" he questioned as tears rolled down my face, streaking my blood and dirt covered face even more. I was sure I wasn't a very pretty sight to behold right now, but that just didn't matter.

"No… They were wearing all black with masks covering their faces. One of them asked the leader if they should take me too and he said I wasn't worth it because they didn't have the time to get me out and I wasn't a threat to them anyway. He seemed to think I wouldn't be able to get out of the pyramids and that I would starve to death," I said, anger boiling in my blood. "He obviously didn't stop to think that Adam is a _Pharaoh_ and I'm his _husband_. Of course people would come looking for us when we didn't come back!"

Tommy held me tightly and took the rod from me. "I didn't see anyone on my way through the pyramids. I didn't see anyone or anything other than the destroyed bike outside…" he whispered and I was shaking violently, so much so that Tommy was shaking just from the force of my body. "Let's get outside and call the palace, let them know what's happening. They'll send guards and troops out to find Adam. We're going to get him back, baby, I promise we will…" Tommy started to pull me from the pyramid, taking me through the maze and around the traps as easily as Adam did. I felt kind of bad, like this path was something that I should have known since I had been royalty for almost six years.

I still couldn't really believe that, but it was true, and now that Adam had been kidnapped, I knew that I was going to have to take his place as Pharaoh until he was brought home or his corpse was tossed down on the palace steps.

A violent sob forced its way out of my throat when that image appeared in my mind. I wasn't sure what I would do if I saw Adam's lifeless body tossed onto the steps of the palace like he was nothing but garbage. I'd either lose it and hunt down every son of a bitch would was responsible for Adam's death and my misery or I'd lose it and kill myself…

No, I couldn't think like that. Adam would be so disappointed in me. I had to be strong for him and keep the hope that he would be okay, even though I felt like my world was collapsing around me. Tommy held me tight, keeping me steady and pulling me from the pyramid but we couldn't get out fast enough. I felt like I couldn't breathe and I could barely see through the tears that were finally coming down like waterfalls.

I wasn't strong enough to be Pharaoh in Adam's absence.

There wasn't really a way around being given the crown though. Adam had written in his will that if he were to pass or become incapable of ruling Egypt, that he wanted me to take his place. It happened once before, when Elijah had poisoned Adam six years ago. I'd been Pharaoh for a week and even that was too much. There was absolutely no telling for how long I'd have to be Pharaoh, if I ever actually got to stop. I couldn't be a Pharaoh, I didn't even know how to do that… I wasn't built for the job…

Tommy tugged me from the pyramid, pulling me out into the darkness, lit only by the half moon and the stars. I saw my bike and Tommy really wasn't kidding. Both wheels had been detached, the gas can drained into the sand and smashed. Each wheel had been deflated and most of the body had been destroyed. If these men could do that to a bike, what the fuck were they doing to my husband?

New tears formed in my eyes, my throat swollen and aching with the sobs I'd already shed. I felt like I was sick, but I knew it was just from my misery. Tommy's hold tightened around me, pulling me towards a motorcycle almost identical to what mine used to look like before it was destroyed.

Tommy pulled out a phone to call the palace and he handed me a bottle of water from the saddlebag on his motorcycle. "Drink, Drake, you need it," he said and I really wasn't in any position to argue with him, so I uncapped the bottle and drained it. I could hear Tommy explain as quickly as he could what had happened and then he thanked the person on the other end. "They're sending guards to search for Adam, but right now, I need to get you home."

"N-no, Tommy, I need to go find Adam…" I protested but Tommy shook his head and took my arm, pulling me to his bike.

"No, Drake, we need to get you home to get you cleaned up and see a doctor. We will find him, Drake, but you wandering around the dessert is not going to help," he said. "Now please get on the bike, please?" I was reminded of when I ran away after Bradley told me about Alexander and how I had almost been raped out in some second-rate town in the middle of the dessert.

"Okay…" I whispered miserably, climbing onto the back of Tommy's bike. He put his phone away and climbed on in front of me. I wrapped my arms around his midsection, pressing my head between his shoulder blades as he started the bike.

"I was in such a rush, I completely forgot to grab helmets," he told me. "So just hang on tight and we'll be back at the palace as soon as possible, okay?" he asked and I just nodded into his back, bringing my legs up so he could rev the bike and shoot off through the dessert, my tears and blood staining his clothes as he drove.


	8. You Never Said

**Chapter Seven: You Never Said That It Would Be This Hard**

**Tommy's POV**

With the night to cloak us on our journey back, Drake's arms wrapped themselves tight around my waist, his face tucked between my shoulder blades as I started the engine of the motorcycle I'd borrowed. Revving it once, I took off and we began the trip back to the palace. The chill of the midnight air whipped through my clothes and rustled my hair, sending shivers down my spine as I veered in and out of brush and rock. The motorcycle hummed softly, the engine purring quietly in the night.

The moon was casting shadows in its half-full glow. Few clouds dotted the starry skies as the lights of the palace came into view. The pyramids were a good five or ten miles away from the rest of the city, nothing but vast and empty farm land separating the two places. Truly, it was a beautiful sight to see such open wonder, but after everything that had happened tonight it just felt lonely and cold.

Drake was trembling behind me, whimpering and crying into my shirt. I glance down at his hands, seeing the bruised and bloodied mess of one and the light, dirty scrapes of the other. It looked as if he'd punched a wall—which probably happened at some point, I had no doubt—before cutting it against rocks; also something that must have happened. I sighed softly, lifting my gaze before cutting around a wide corner, avoiding a large statue of the death god, Anubis. My heart skipped a beat and I let out the breath I'd sucked in, flying down the road towards the palace.

I stared hard at the road, trying not to let all of what Drake had said distract me too much from driving. But parts of it were inevitable, really… Adam had been kidnapped. Adam—the beloved Pharaoh of all Egypt—had been taken. My hands froze and trembled against the handle bars of the motorcycle and I swallowed the lump from my throat, breathing as evenly as I could.

It was impossible. Adam couldn't have been taken. When Drake had initially told me, I thought it was a practical joke of sorts that he and Adam were playing. I'd had half a mind to start laughing and call for Adam, but the tears and undeniable agony in Drake's eyes were a little too real to be a joke. I'd forced myself to swallow the laughter as shock washed over me.

Even still, Adam couldn't be gone… He couldn't be. Adam was strong and courageous and no matter how hard things got for him, he would still pull through. He'd do everything in his power to succeed. He didn't have to win or be the best, but he would give everything he had for anything and he'd keep fighting. And now to hear that he had been taken. That he was gone…

Tears clung to the corners of my eyes and I tried to blink them away. The cold air made them sting and I swallowed the lump from my throat again, slowing down as we neared the palace. I peeled off the road and drove to a smaller building off to the eastern wing of the palace, cruising in through a wide doorway. Inside were hundreds of motorcycles, all painted a glossy black. They were armored and built of material like titanium. They ran off of non-toxic fuel that, as it burned, was filtered through a cylinder in the bike to later emit warm oxygen. In the last few centuries, technology had advanced enough to eliminate toxic gasses and pollution.

I pulled the bike to park in its space, killing the engine. Drake sluggishly removed his arms from my waist, and we climbed off the bike. Pocketing the phone, I curled my arm around Drake, bringing him to my side. He clutched my shirt in his dirt and blood covered fingers, whimpering softly. My heart cracked harshly in my chest and I had to fight the sobs that shook my ribcage.

We walked out of the building and in through a side entrance to the palace. I had called Cassidy earlier and told him that we would meet him and Alexander in the meeting hall just off of the east wing. Due to the late hours of the night, most servants had already gone to bed, and the hallways were empty as we hurried down them. The pace was a little slow, though, due to the scrapes in Drake's arms and legs, and the fact that walking through the palace halls seemed to make him shake more and more.

"Come on, Drake," I murmured gently in his ear, holding him as close as I could and still walk. Drake was trembling violently, tears cascading down his cheeks relentlessly. The sight of him made me whimper, the urge to just stop and hold him until he cried himself to sleep strong. But I didn't. I kept pulling him along until we reached the wide, double doors of the meeting hall. I pressed my hand to one of the doors, which was cracked open some, and pushed. It swung easily, and I pulled Drake inside.

Cassidy and Alexander were standing side by side close to the table. They were dressed in identical white trousers and shirts with deep sapphire robes that draped to the floor, open to show the white. The hems were embroidered in gold and I could only imagine that there had been a meeting while Drake and Adam were away.

They lifted their heads simultaneously to us, their eyes landing first on me then Drake. Both pairs widened and two mouths dropped, both of the advisors rushing over to Drake immediately. I kept myself glued to Drake's side as they swarmed him, talking quickly. Mixes of "Oh, Ra, are you alright?" and "What happened Drake?" and "Where's Adam, Drake?" were blown at him like gunfire. Drake merely whimpered, more tears streaming, and they both shut up.

"Tommy," Cassidy sniped, turning his hard brown eyed gaze to me. "You said earlier that something had happened… Where's Adam?" My heart jerked and lurched up into my throat. My mouth felt dry and I licked my lips, hoping to be able to choke the words out as best as I could.

"Adam," I croaked, wincing softly. "Adam's…Adam's been kidnapped…" My words were soft and weak, unyielding in the painful truth and yet not wanting to believe it all the same. Cassidy and Alexander's eyes widened as much as they could. Alexander looked as if he were about to faint. Cassidy looked like he was about to go into shock. The silence of the hall, with the exception of Drake's soft crying, was deafening. I swore, if I could drop a pin I'd be able to hear it echo throughout the room.

Alexander shook his head a little, staring hard at me as if I'd spoke blasphemy. I clenched my jaw, looking away from him as tears stung my eyes. "It's true… Drake said that when they were in the pyramids, he got trapped in a secret room. Adam tried to save him and was taken by several men clad in black with masks…" I began, finding the words tumbling like dry leaves from my lips.

"He said that there was a man who seemed to be a little older than the rest, like a leader.. and that he recognized his voice…" Cassidy's eyes narrowed and he took a step closer to me.

"Who's was it?" He asked, glancing at Drake. I frowned, turning to the young King. Tears glistened in his eyes and sparkled on his cheeks, soaking his blood and dirt stained shirt.

"One of the councilmen from Persia…" Drake whispered, his bloodshot eyes fixated on the floor. They were soaked with agony and fear as a soft whine sounded from his throat, and he tucked himself closer to me. Cassidy's eyes widened some and he seemed to look past me, as if thinking back to the recent meeting we'd had with men from Persia.

"Impossible. Our ties with Persia were not the greatest, but they would never—" Cassidy began, but Alexander cut him off.

"It is possible, Cassidy. We've had several meetings with members and kings from Libya, Syria, Chad, Turkey and even as far as Iraq—though that is a place of questionable allegiance. But Persia—Iran… Especially with their new king, Emir Falah, our ties have been weaker than ever. It is not so strange, truly, that the Persians would be behind this attack…"

"But if they were to take Adam, why not take Drake as well. Are they not aware that Drake is just as powerful in royalty as Adam? That Drake is just as much of a king?" Drake whimpered beside me, shaking violently. I cooed at him, trying to get him to calm down. Alexander sighed softly, taking Drake's opposite side. Together we guided him to a chair so he could sit. I crouched beside him, taking his hand.

"I'm sure they are aware, Cassidy… I don't know why they wouldn't have taken Drake, but by Gods, I'm glad they did not. Taking Adam was far more than enough…" Alexander said gently, sitting down across the table from Drake and I. Cassidy let out a heavy breath before sitting at the head of the table, running his fingers through his hair.

"Tommy, how long ago did Drake say that Adam was taken?" I bit down on my bottom lip, standing up to stretch my legs as I ran my fingers through Drake's hair, trying to soothe him.

"Several hours, at least. He and Adam left at midday and when I went to find them, it was midnight." I explained, and Cassidy cursed.

"So they're well on their way back to Persia then. Even with bikes, though, that's a long journey," Cassidy said, and Alexander perked up a little, staring intently at the other advisor.

"Then why not call for a rescue mission. If it's a long journey and we head out by dawn, we might be able to make up ground and catch them before they get back to Persia. We can save Adam and make this mess into a more peaceful—" beside me, I felt Drake tense and he lifted his head, glaring across the table at the brunette.

"Peaceful?" He hissed, his voice cracked and hoarse. "Peaceful? There _is_ no peace, Alexander! Persians just kidnapped the _Pharaoh _of _all Egypt_! They're not going to hand him back willing or peacefully simply because we caught them before they could hurry home!" Drake's voice was hard and loud, echoing in the small space of the hall. Alexander sat staring at him with a gaping mouth for a moment before trying to collect himself.

"I was just trying to make a suggestion, Drake.. If we opt for peace we can avoid a war—"

"Opting for peace does nothing! They snuck into our sacred pyramids. They dishonored our dead and they _took him like he was a slave_!" Drake roared, leaping from his chair. Alexander's eyes narrowed a little and I watched his jaw clench. My heart skipped a beat and I froze.

"Well what do you suggest, then? Would you rather ride out and throw yourself into a ruckus of gunfire and bloodshed? Would you put your life on the line and Egypt at risk when you could avoid all of that?" Alexander's tone was hard and cold for an advisor, but he made certain not to start shouting. Drake on the other hand was beyond that point.

"Yes, I would! Because there is no call for peace! They kidnapped the Pharaoh of Egypt! That is not an act of friendly fire, that is _war_, Alexander! You want to avoid war—they've already started our war!" Alexander lurched from his seat, staring with fire blazing in his eyes at Drake. Cassidy and I were left speechless.

"Don't you understand, Drake? They kidnapped Adam because they _want_ to start war! They want you to lash out and make the first move! They want you to fuel the initiative to fight! Don't you see what I'm trying to avoid here? I'm trying to save Egypt and ultimately save Adam!" Drake snarled, slamming his hands on the table.

"You are not Adam's lover—his husband! You are not his King! He is yours as much as he is my King, but _I_ am his! It's _my_ duty to see him home safe and sound, not yours! Adam left it in his will that _I_ ensure the continuance of Egypt, _not you_!" I felt my heart freeze over and I knew by the expression on his face that Cassidy felt the same.

"_Hey!_" Alexander roared, and Drake spat at him.

"_What?_"

"You think I don't know that Adam is not mine? You think I don't understand what his kidnapping entitles? I'm trying to give options, Drake! I'm trying to help you save him! And you still believe that my initiative is to take him away? _I don't need Adam like you need him_." Alexander roared, his eyes blazing black. Drake was stunned into silence.

"I love him to death, don't misunderstand. He is my King and he will always be my King. But he is my friend. He was my lover once, just as he is yours now. And if you think for a moment that my strategies are to take him from you instead of save him, then you are far more naïve than you appear to be! Running into war and getting yourself killed won't do anyone any favors, especially Adam!" Drake snarled at that last part, the fire burning bright in his eyes again.

"I'm not running into anything, Alexander. I will not run, and if you so dare as to demand and degrade me further, I swear I will have you locked up and replaced. I am in no mood to tolerate your tone and your words—" Alexander opened his mouth but Drake raised his hand. "Hold your tongue, Alexander. I have done with you…" Turning on his heel, Drake stormed out, his shoulders tense and footsteps heavy as he shoved the door open, letting it slam against the wall before he disappeared down the hall.

I couldn't breathe for a moment. I had to lean against the corner of the table just to keep myself upright. Across from me I watched Alexander's mouth shut as he clenched his jaw, glaring after where Drake had disappeared. I had never seen him so angry and so defiant before in the time that I had known him, and I wasn't sure if I liked it or not.

"As you wish, My King," he gritted even though Drake had left. I swallowed the lump in my throat, making quick eye contact with my lover before turning away, hurrying out of the doorway and down the hall. Drake was turning a corner, no doubt making way for his and Adam's bedroom when I finally caught up to him.

"Drake.. baby, wait.." I panted softly and he whipped around, tears in his eyes.

"What? Are you here to yell at me too?" He hissed and I winced softly, taking his hand in mine.

"No, Drake, I am not. Alexander shouldn't have, even as your advisor. If I did, my status as a pleasure servant would pay me nothing but punishment.." I told him and Drake sighed heavily, slowing to a stop.

"Tommy, you know I would never punish you.." He said but I just shook my head.

"Drake… You are Pharaoh now… It will be expected of you to pay your servants their dues if they disobey or act out of line. Alexander did such tonight, but I know that much of your argument was done out of anger and sadness. It would do well to sleep it off and pardon it tomorrow…" I told him, feeling like an old and wise sage for some reason. Drake sighed again.

"Please don't talk about me being Pharaoh… I don't want.." he trailed off, tears falling and I pulled him into my arms, holding him close.

"I know, Drake, I know… But we'll get him back. I know we will. We'll get him back and everything will be alright, baby.. I promise you.." Drake whimpered, crying heavily into my shirt again.

"I can't do this, Tommy. I can't do this again. It was bad enough those years ago when he was poisoned. But at least then I knew he was going to be alright. The doctor assured us that he would be fine. Now I don't know. He's not here. He's not in the safety of his home with his family. I don't even know if he's alive—" he shuddered, his words cutting off as he sobbed.

"Shh, Drake… It's alright. It'll be alright. Adam will be fine. We'll bring him home and everything will be alright…"


	9. I Won't Be the One Who Says That

**Chapter Eight: I Won't Be the One Who Says That  
>Hiei's POV<strong>

I walked into the hall to a shouting match between Drake and his almost yet older twin. At first it just sounded like a bunch of screeching meshed together to be one high, loud and unwanted noise, but the longer I stood there, the more I understood what they were shouting about.

Drake was screaming about a war, or something, and that Alex was completely out of line to speak to him in a way that was so demeaning. I could actually understand Drake's anger. He was the Pharaoh's husband, after all. He held the most power in the palace, along with the actual Pharaoh of all of Egypt. Alexander was his and Adam's adviser and really had no right to be screaming at the young king.

But Alexander seemed to have a point of his own. He was screaming about peace and Drake rushing into a war, blind and irrational. It was a point that was definitely worth being made but Alex was definitely going about it the wrong way. That and the fact that I really couldn't be bias to one side since I didn't really know what they were truly arguing about. I only heard the tail end of the conversation before Drake spun around on his heels and stormed out of the room, tears clinging in his eyes.

He didn't even notice me as he rushed out of the room, but I couldn't really blame him. Whatever this was all about, he was obviously extremely upset about it. Tommy ran after him, also not noticing me and I just watched them both rush by, trying to piece together everything that was going on. I had been extremely confused since Cassidy and I were in our bedroom, asleep after dinner and a nice hour of intimacy. His phone had gone off some time past midnight and he got up to answer it. He told me not to worry, but he had something he and Alex needed to attend to and that he would be back as soon as he could.

That had been a few hours ago and I'd gotten increasingly worried even though Cassidy told me not to worry. Usually when he said something like 'don't worry and go back to sleep' there was definitely something to worry about. I was going to walk over to Cassidy to find out what was happening, but I stopped when I saw Cassidy grab Alex's arm and turn him so they were facing each other.

"Alex, I know you are trying to be logical and rational about all of this, but you can't just yell at Drake like that. I know you're afraid that he's going to make a mistake because he's young and he is inexperienced, but you can't just shout at him every time he says something you don't agree with," Cassidy said calmly, a pleasant change after the shouting matching that almost turned into the next world war right in the palace.

"I know that, Cass, I know, but he's talking about waging a war with Persia and he can't just run into something like that! War should be the very last option and you and I both know that!" Alex exclaimed but compared to the screaming he'd just been participating in, he sounded extremely calm. "Drake's not thinking rationally because he's so upset, but he can't just let his emotions throw his entire country into a war!"

Cassidy put both of his hands on either side of Alex, holding his arms and keeping him steady. "We're not going to just rush into a war, Alex. Once Drake is cleaned up, calmed down and had a decent night's sleep, we will talk to him in a calm discussion, meaning no screaming or shouting at him. As much as you don't agree with what he said, you can't just scream at him. He is your king and now he is your pharaoh. Now you know Drake loves you dearly but right now he's emotionally unstable and you can't expect him to be lenient on you if you speak out of term," Cassidy explained.

Pharaoh? What was Cassidy talking about? Drake was the Pharaoh now? Did that mean something horrible happened to Adam? Oh Ra, was he _dead_? Is that what the phone call was about and, if it was, I was going to fucking kill him because he told me not to worry and to go back to sleep. Adam, the Pharaoh of Egypt, and my friend being dead or in danger was something to fucking worry about!

But if something didn't happen to Adam, Drake wouldn't be Pharaoh right now…

"I know… I let my emotions get out of hand and I shouldn't have shouted at him, but he's being a little selfish if he thinks that he's the only one affected by Adam's disappearance… He's important to everyone in Egypt and he's extremely important to everyone in the palace," Alex mumbled, frowning a little.

"Alex, I know that, I do, but you need to stop and look at what Drake's been through today. He tripped into a trap door and got stuck inside a pyramid wall for Ra only knows how long. He was terrified and scared, alone in the dark and when Adam was finally starting to get him out of there, five Persian soldiers attacked Adam and dragged him away and Drake had to just sit there and watch them drag his lover off without being able to do one thing to help him. He spent the rest of his time trying to get out of that trap and he got pretty beat up in the process," Cassidy explained, like he was an old man telling an ancient tale passed down through the generations. "He's heartbroken right now and he doesn't know how to deal with losing Adam like this. He's terrified that Adam won't come back to him and he's also scared because he's being pushed back into this extremely important role of being Pharaoh and that scares him. You screaming at him isn't going to help any of that. We need to be there for him and we need to guide him. We also must show him the same respect we gave Adam because he _is_ our Pharaoh and if he wishes it, he can have us punished and replaced in an instant."

Drake wouldn't really replace Alex and Cassidy as his advisers, would he? He wouldn't… punish them would he? He loved them too much… He was just heart broken from Adam's sudden- kidnapping?- apparently.

"Okay, yeah… I know you're right, I just—" Alex started, seeming to lose his train of thought. "I'll apologize to him tomorrow when we sit down to talk to him. I know I owe him that… I was completely out of line… and I know that…" It sounded like Alex didn't really want to admit he was wrong, but he was. After a moment, he actually noticed I was standing there and he nodded his head in my direction. A second later, Cassidy turned to see me as well and his eyes rounded a little.

"Baby…" he whispered loud enough for me to hear but just barely. Sighing, Cassidy walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "How long have you been standing here, Hiei?" he whispered into my ear and I leaned into him, a heavy sigh falling off of my still slightly swollen lips.

"A while… You were all so soaked into your fight that no one even noticed I was here…" I muttered quietly and looked up at him with wide, curious eyes.

Alex went for the exit. "I'm going to send out a scouting party for Adam and then I am going to retire for the night," the shorter adviser said. "I'll see you both at breakfast. Try to have a peaceful night and decent sleep," he added, giving us a little, forced smile before disappearing out the massive double doors, leaving Cassidy and I alone in the meeting hall.

"Why did you tell me not to worry if you knew something so awful happened, Cass?" I asked, staring up at him after Alex had left. "Adam being kidnapped? By Persians? I'd say that's something to worry about. You could have just told me… "

Cassidy sighed, his arms tightening around my waist. "I'm sorry baby, I really am… I just, I was hoping that this was all just one big misunderstanding and that Adam would come home and we'd get a different story and if not, then I would tell you, but I didn't want to worry and scare you so late at night. I just wanted you to get a good night's sleep before throwing something like this at you…"

"I appreciate that, Cass, but I'm not a little boy. You don't have to protect me or ensure that I get a good night's sleep. I can take care of myself and I just want you to keep me in the loop… I hate feeling like I'm the last to know, like I don't really matter all that much. I want to know when something happens to my friends…" I said, trying to make a legitimate case for why people _should_ talk to me about the things that happen around the palace, even if I wasn't a royal or an adviser. Neither was Tommy but he was kept in the loop!

He kept one arm around my waist and started walking me slowly out of the meeting hall, leading me down to our bedroom. "I'm sorry, sweet heart. You know I don't want to 'leave you out of the loop'. I'm sorry, I should have told you right away, I was wrong," he whispered into my ear, pressing a soft, gentle kiss to my temple as we walked through the empty halls. It was a little past three in the morning. All of the sane people in the palace were already asleep in their beds. Lucky bastards.

"Just… please stop trying to protect me and just tell me up front? The next time something so awful happens, I don't want to find out about it by walking in on a screaming match between a young Pharaoh and his adviser. It was scary, honestly, to see Drake and Alex going at it like that. It made it even more terrifying to see Drake so beat up, like he had already been in a scrap fight or something… I'd like to know what's going on before that point happens, okay?" I asked, looking up at him and he smiled down at me, pecking me gently on the lips. "I mean Tommy knows everything and he's pretty much at the same status I am…" I said, just to further my case.

"All right, darling, if it makes you happy, I won't sugar coat anything for you. I'll just give it to you just like it is, okay?" he asked and I smiled softly, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek.

"Thank you," I said. "That's really all I'm asking for." He smiled softly at me and we continued walking. We passed by Alex, who was talking with a group of about twelve guards, telling them about the situation and explaining to them where they needed to go to start looking and, hopefully, finding the group that took Adam before they got back to Persia.

I couldn't really fight the frown because it upset me to know that we wouldn't see Adam at breakfast tomorrow. Sure, I wasn't his lover or anything, but he had grown to become one of my closest friends. Who would have thought? I was friends with the Pharaoh of Egypt, me, a 'street rat'. I wondered what would happen if the search party couldn't find him. What it… Adam wasn't brought home? What if he never came home?

My stomach threatened to fail me just by thinking about something so horrible.

"So… what's going to happen now?" I asked as we stepped into our room. "I mean… what are we going to do if those guards don't find Adam tonight?" I asked again, looking up at my lover, my husband.

Cassidy sighed deeply, closing the bedroom door behind him and locking it before he turned to face me completely. "I'm not entirely sure yet, Hiei. Hopefully Adam will be brought home by morning, but if now, Drake, Alex and I will figure out what we are going to do to get him back," he told me and he must have seen the horrified look on my face because he stepped forward and pulled me to him, holding me tight against his larger frame. "We are going to get him back, Hiei. We'll find him, I promise," he whispered into my ear, one of his hands coming up my back to pet my hair.

I wanted to believe him, I truly did, but there was that lingering thought in the back of my mind. I didn't even want to think it or voice it, but the thought was there regardless.

_What if it was already to late to save Adam? What if he was… What if he was dying?_

_What if he was already dead?_


	10. I Am The Shepherd

**Chapter Nine: I Am The Shepherd…**

**Cassidy's POV**

I couldn't sleep.

Even as the dawn came rushing in to greet me and my sleeping lover, I couldn't sleep. Images of what drake and Tommy had spoke of haunted me. Adam was gone… Kidnapped by the Persians. Held hostage somewhere far from here for purposes of war, no doubt. With these images, I could still hear the argument between Drake and Alexander running through my head like a skipping song; screaming their anger and agony back and forth at one another like rabid dogs before parting ways.

When sunlight began to wash through the windows, I peeled myself away from Hiei, letting him sleep in silence as I dressed into a pair of white shorts and a red robe that trailed to the floor. I tied it with a sash, letting it hang off of my bare shoulders as I ran my fingers through my hair. Unlike Adam and Drake, I got my hair trimmed on a relatively monthly basis, keeping it short and somewhat neat. Slipping into my sandals, I crossed to the door of mine and Hiei's bedroom, opening the door and stepping out into the hall. Shutting it quietly, I made my way down the long stretch of open hallway.

It felt strange to be walking the halls at dawn. Normally, I woke up in the morning fairly easily and early, but this early was a little ridiculous. Especially after the night I'd had before. Gods… Last night had been terrible in every possible way. Between Adam being kidnapped and the fight between Drake and Alexander…

Gods.. It was difficult enough to imagine that Adam could have been taken. But to have it be fact was an entirely different thing. And by the Persians, of all people… While it had been a suspicion amongst myself, Alexander and Adam of their poor allegiance, none of us betted on it actually falling to pieces. And now here we were… Drake's heart in shreds, Alex and myself at a loss and Adam missing…

Sighing heavily, I slowed my pace to an aimless walk, folding my hands behind my back. The ends of the robe trailed along the stone flooring of the palace, the gold hemming catching the light of the sun. A soft breeze carried through and swept over my shoulders, but even the slight chill wasn't enough to shake me. What did though was the knowledge that no matter how many times I would walk these halls today, I would not see Adam…

"Gods…" I whispered, coming to a stop near a large, arched window. Adam had been living in this palace his entire life. He'd gone to other countries for treaties and exotic adventures, but he'd never really left it. He had no desires to. Not to mention his duties were here. He was Pharaoh, his responsibility was here.

Now he was gone.

The promises made to Drake to bring Adam home kept tumbling through my mind. What if we didn't bring him home? What if we couldn't get him back? Or, worse, what if he was brought back to the palace..dead? A shiver ran through my body and I felt tears sting my eyes. The idea of Adam being pale and lifeless, dumped into our palace like damaged-but-returned property made my stomach churn and clench.

No. I couldn't think like that. We had to bring him home… We had to. For Drake and for Egypt.

Pushing off from the wall, I began walking further down the hallways of the palace. I wasn't really sure where I was going, as I had no real initiative to go anywhere. I didn't have someplace that I needed to be, and I couldn't go back to my room to sleep because I knew sleep would not grace me. In truth, I was in a pretty poor situation with nothing to do and no one to talk to. Not that I could really find pleasure in talking to anyone now…

I had to wonder, though. Had the news spread? Had the palace servants been informed of Adam's disappearance? Or had the guards kept their mouths shut as they went out into the late hours of the night to begin their search? Did the city folk know? Had they heard the news? I rubbed the back of my neck gently, sighing softly as I walked. Egypt would be in a panicked uproar when they heard that Adam was missing.

Did this mean, now, that Egypt was at risk of attack? Now that Egypt was missing its primary king, would we be considered defenseless? Even with such a thought, it would be ridiculous to act on it. Adam had married, and in his will he had written Drake to take over the throne and the responsibilities of being Pharaoh should anything ever happen. His kidnapping fell under such category, giving Drake full power to the throne. Should we be attacked, we have a Pharaoh to call the orders for battle.

But Drake was young… He had no experience in the art of war and had only served as Pharaoh once before when Adam had been poisoned. As it was, the idea of being Pharaoh again terrified Drake, that much was obvious. He would have to start learning everything very, very quickly… Things that had taken Adam years to understand, Drake would have to know in days, weeks. Months at the very most. Chances couldn't be taken depending on how long Adam was gone…

"Cassidy?" I heard a voice behind me and I turned, seeing Tommy walking up to me. I sighed and smiled softly at the blond, taking note to the exhausted that lined his eyes like powder.

"Tommy.. How are you this morning?" I asked him and he shrugged softly. He was wearing a white vest and matching white shorts with well-worn leather sandals. Simple and neat. Clean cut, even.

"I've been better. It's not every day you wake up to remember that your Pharaoh is missing…" He said and I felt my heart clench a little. The pain must have shown on my face for Tommy harbored a sorrowful expression. "I'm sorry, I… I did not mean to be so bold about such a tender subject." I shook my head.

"It's alright, Tommy. I understand your meaning. But why are you up so early?" Tommy sighed softly, falling in step beside me as we walked.

"I couldn't sleep anymore. I stayed with Drake last night to comfort him. He cried until close to dawn before passing out. I wish I was as lucky as him." I nodded once, frowning a little.

"Poor thing… That boy has been through so much since being brought here," I mused gently. Tommy frowned some before looking at me.

"What do you mean?"

"He was taken from his family when he was eighteen; a young, supple and naïve virgin who'd been working his entire life to help support his family. In the same night of his upbringing in the palace, he gave his virginity to the Pharaoh of Egypt, the very man who took ordered soldiers to take him from home.

"Later he was inked—a painful process in and of itself—before being the victim of harassment and abuse from a seemingly trusted advisor. After that, even, he finds his youngest sibling murdered in his own bedroom, no doubt killed by his assailant. He was then neglected by the man he was in love with before being told that he was nothing more than a cover-up for an old lover than he had a striking resemblance with.

"With this knowledge, he ran away from home with little in the ways of food, water and money, was assaulted again and nearly taken advantage of before being brought back home. Several happy years go by and, all at once, he gets married, watches his best friend fall ill with fever—" at this, I noticed Tommy's cheeks flame a little, but his eyes grew somber and distant. He remembered that time well… "—and becomes acquainted with the supposed dead lover that he had so much likeness to.

"Afterwards, the life of his husband is compromised and he's forced into the role of Pharaoh. Everyone comes back to after a while, he gains trust within his husband's old lover before being attacked by a servant boy who served the advisor who hurt him when he was younger. He nearly loses his own life and watches someone close to him take the blade instead.

"Out of hate and anguish, he lashes out and, effectively, slaughters his attempted murderer in a blind rage that he doesn't even remember. And now he's here… The day after his husband's fortieth birthday, thrown back into the role of Pharaoh without having a single clue of whether or not his lover is alive… Tell me something, Tommy… Drake claims that he's not as strong or as capable as everyone believes him to be, but how does he have the will to keep living and fighting every day when he's had a life like this?"

Tommy was silent for a long moment, clearly perturbed by the retold horrors of Drake's life living here at this palace. Sure, there are hundreds of good memories that the young king has had, but there have been tragedies as well. Many, many tragedies— traumatic occurrences, really. Most people would be haunted eternally by just one of the things that Drake had been through, and somehow he was able to get up every day and keep going.

But how much more could he take before he just snapped?

"I don't know… Drake is definitely young, still, in heart and soul. But with everything he's been through, he's matured over the years. He's not the same naïve boy that he once was. He's grown into an intelligent young man with an incredibly brave personality." I smiled softly at Tommy.

"You speak so fondly of him," I commented and Tommy chuckled quietly.

"Drake may be my king, but he will always be the baby of this place as well. He has his moments where he still seems like he's the young and innocent eighteen year old virgin again.." Tommy murmured gently and I nodded once. That much was very true. Drake could have his moments where he was bashful and sweet. And then he had moments where we was demanding or devilishly sinful.

"You would be advised not to speak of him in such a manner around Alexander though. He might get jealous…" I chuckled and Tommy laughed softly, throwing his head back a little bit.

"Let him be jealous! Drake spent many of his own years being jealous of Alexander. Besides, Drake harbors all of the beauty, youth and energy that Alexander once had for himself. Of course he's going to be jealous…" I smirked softly, giving Tommy a shrug of the shoulder in agreement. I had known Alexander for a good handful of years before he seemed to pass on with the fever, and I had grieved his loss much like Adam had. But Alexander and I had not been close like we were now. Alexander was Adam's responsibility, and at the time my focus had been with Bradley.

Biting my lip a little, I pictured my old lover in the back of my mind. I painted his adorable, boyish face and large brown eyes clearly. His chipper voice would still ring through my ears on occasion, but I knew I no longer felt guilt for sending him off to his own death. He betrayed Egypt, betrayed Adam and betrayed me. While I had mourned of the passion lost between us, I was happy now and had little in the ways of thought for Bradley. He was the scum of the Underworld now.

Besides, I was happily married to Hiei and had no reason to be brooding about Bradley. Just as Adam had Drake…

"Of course, no one will envy Drake. Not for a while…" Tommy glanced at me curiously for a moment, but when our eyes met, his chocolate ones softened greatly, and he nodded once.


	11. Hate is a Strong Word

**Chapter Ten: Hate is a Strong Word, So is Heart Broken  
>Drake's POV<strong>

I sobbed and I cried all night. I only fell asleep when my throat was so sore. My bleeding and torn hand didn't even hurt as much but I didn't stay asleep long. When I passed out from crying it was almost dawn and, when I woke up, the sun had just finished rising, but Tommy wasn't with me anymore. I supposed I couldn't really blame him. I was a pathetic sight to behold and, if I were him, I wouldn't want to be around me either…

For a while, I just laid in my empty and now loveless bed, but laying where Adam and I had made love countless times by myself depressed me and I slowly peeled myself from the sheets that held broken and empty promises.

Going into the bathroom to bathe, I thought I would feel a little better. I felt that if I could scrub myself clean, I could wash away everything from yesterday. Like every event would just crumble away and I would pull myself from the tub and fall into Adam's arms. But I knew that wouldn't happen… Bathing didn't make me feel any better. Being clean didn't make me feel pure, it just made my ruined hand and all of the cuts and scrapes on my body burn.

I hoped that none of them were infected, but the dust from the pyramids could have done a number of things to me. I didn't want to deal with getting infections and having the doctor come to see me (but someone probably already called him to come and visit me). But part of me wished I did have a serious infection, because then I could be bedridden and I wouldn't have to be Pharaoh. Hell, maybe the infection would get so horrible, it would just kill me and I wouldn't have to deal with this heartache anymore. Alexander and Tommy thought they knew what I was going through, but they knew nothing. No one could possibly understand my agony.

Bradley was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. I firmly believed he would always be the worst thing in my existence. The rapes, the murder of my little sister, the threats… All of the physical and emotion trauma he inflicted on me were the worst pains I'd ever felt in my life, but now he didn't seem like anything. Bradley was just a flea in the whole scheme of life, but Adam being ripped away from me? Maybe even dead and never to return? I felt like my heart was ripped from my chest and thrown to rabid dogs that tore it apart between their vicious teeth.

I felt like my heart was never going to get over to get this agony and I truly believed that I would never stop feeling like this. Not until Adam was holding me in his arms again, telling me how much he loved me.

As much as I felt like I wanted to just die, I knew I couldn't just give up on life. Adam wasn't dead yet, not to me, and I wasn't going to give up on my lover without fighting for him. It was more than just Adam though… He trusted me to take care of his entire kingdom if anything ever happened to him. He thought that I, above all others, would be able to lead Egypt through such a dark time. I didn't necessarily agree with him, but failure wasn't an option. If Adam wanted me to be Pharaoh when he couldn't, I was going to be Pharaoh to the best of my abilities and, while I was searching for him, I would keep Egypt from falling apart.

I was going to try, at least…

In realizing that I couldn't just throw my life away, I dried off carefully and mindful of all my small wounds and I went over to the large vanity in the bathroom. Most of the makeup Adam and I wore was in a vast vanity that was placed in our bedroom, along with a ton of jewelry that we wore when we were getting really dressed up. In the bathroom's vanity, we had basic cosmetics, medicines and ointment. So I stuffed a rag into my mouth to bite down on and I opened the rubbing alcohol, dumping it out onto my busted and bruised knuckles.

The pain was even worse than I imagined, but I just bit down on the rag, crying into it before repeating the process with the alcohol on some of the worse cuts and wounds on the rest of my body. Thankfully it was mostly my arms, lower thighs and calves that were hurt in trying to escape from that blasted room I trapped myself in. Fuck, I was so damned stupid! If I hadn't locked myself in there, we would have been home before those Persian soldiers showed up at all.

Adam being kidnapped was all my fault and that just added to my heartache, as if it wasn't bad enough already.

By the time I went back out to the bedroom, freshly cleaned and in pain from dumping rubbing alcohol into open wounds, it was just about time for breakfast, but I wasn't hungry. In fact, I was sure if I tried to eat something, I would throw up all over the table in front of everyone. I didn't want that to happen and I also didn't want to face all those people. I wasn't going to be able to hold myself together with all of those people swarming me, asking me if I was all right and what I was going to do about the situation. Most of all, I didn't want to deal with Alexander, especially after our huge fight last night. That was the last thing I needed to deal with.

So, instead, I pulled on a pair of white, loose fitting trousers. Usually I hated wearing pants. I was really more of a shorts kind of guy, but I didn't want everyone to see the condition of my legs, especially my mother. She would just freak out and unnecessarily worry about me. I didn't need to have her more upset than she already was going to be about Adam's disappearance. She thought of Adam as her own son even though that was impossible since she was only five years older than him.

I pulled on a white shear shirt to match the trousers before going to Adam's wardrobe and pulling out one of his golden robes. It was way too big for me but it was the closest thing I had to being wrapped up in his arms. It smelled like him and it was just wonderful to be engulfed in something that was his. It almost made me feel whole again, but not quite. I had to roll the sleeves up a lot more than I normally did for my own robes to get them up to my elbows, but I felt too comfortable in Adam's robe to take it off.

Tears touched my eyes as I pulled the box that held Adam's crown out of his wardrobe. He only wore it for extremely high-rise events, where he needed to show his dominance and his authority as Pharaoh of Egypt. I had a crown of my own and I only wore it when it was absolutely necessarily. Adam had it made for me after we were married and it matched the one piece of jewelry I never took off: my wedding ring.

Opening the box was almost too much for me to handle. This crown had always been a symbol of Adam but now it was a symbol of me and I wasn't really sure I was ready to accept that. I didn't want to be Pharaoh because I didn't think I could do it. Adam saw something in me that I never saw... But I also didn't want to be pharaoh because that meant that Adam was gone. He wasn't there with me and when I imagined having to part ways with Adam, I imagined that I was much older and I was cradling his head in my lap. He was supposed to live a happy, fruitful life before anything pulled us apart…

But here I was, twenty-seven, suddenly thrown into the leadership of an entire, powerful country and on the verge of being a widower. I was too damned young to be a widower!

Instead of going to breakfast like I should have, I slammed the lid down on the box and put the crown back into the wardrobe and I walked out onto the balcony that was off of our- my- bedroom. I could see for miles but nothing really seemed to jump out at me. Usually staring out at the city inspired me but now I was too depressed to even think about art. I couldn't create much when I was angry or upset. I had to be in a decent mood for the most part and if I did create something in such a horrible mood, it was usually something that no one would want to keep.

I leaned against the railing, tears slowly rolling down my cheeks. I turned around and suddenly wished I hadn't because the only thing my eyes could focus on was the beautiful and so very realistic painting I did of Adam when I first became his lover, all those years ago.

I fell back onto the railing, and it was a good thing, too, because without it, I would have collapsed to the floor or fallen from the balcony to my death. Tears cascaded down my face and I dropped my face into my hands, sobbing hard into my cupped and still aching palm. I didn't want to keep breaking down like this, especially not every single time I saw a picture of Adam, but I didn't know how to numb the aching in my heart. All I wanted to do was hop on a bike, drive to Persia and knock on the palace doors, demanding to see my husband. Honestly, at this point, I didn't care if they threw me in jail as long as I was in jail with him. Something told me that if I truly went to Persia, I wouldn't end up in jail with Adam. I would end up dead or we would both end up dead and what would that help? Then Egypt wouldn't even have a leader… But Adam and I would be in the Afterlife together… if our souls actually found peace after being viciously murdered in some wild and crazy act of war.

Oh my fucking Ra, my brain could not take all of this agony and stress. My heart already felt like it was bursting open and I was bleeding out internally. Now my brain was already running over overdrive and I hadn't even begun to learn anything about being a pharaoh. I knew some basics; just because I didn't have all the power, I was still the Pharaoh's husband. But now I needed to learn things that took most of Adam's childhood for him to learn. How was I supposed to just learn all of that overnight? I couldn't! But I had to because I needed to be strong for Egypt and for Adam…

I was in way over my head. Part of me wished that Adam hadn't made me his successor, but he did. Whether I was actually capable of accomplishing what he thought I could or not, I couldn't fail Adam… Well, I couldn't fail him without even trying to succeed. I had to put everything I had into being Pharaoh and finding Adam, but what exactly was everything I had? I didn't even know…

If anyone asked me how long I sat out on that balcony, crying my eyes out for the second time in less than twenty-four hours, I would tell them I didn't know. But I knew I'd missed all of breakfast. I was reassured when I heard someone knocking on my bedroom door. I really didn't make any attempts to get up and answer it or call to whoever it was; I merely pulled my knees to my chest and wept into my thighs.

There was another knock a few moments later but I still didn't make any attempts to get up. A few seconds later, there was someone walking through my room, calling to me. I didn't recognize the voice at first, because I didn't even care about anything but Adam and my own heartache. I was probably a pathetic sight, but at the moment, I really just didn't care.

"Drake… Why are you out here all alone?" he asked and when I looked up, I saw Alexander standing there with a sad, worried look on his face.

"Go away, Alexander, you're the last person I want to talk to right now," I sniffled, turning away from him to look out across the city. I knew I was being a little harsh, but I wasn't over anything that happened yesterday, including my fight with him. I also didn't want to talk to anyone, not just him.

"Drake…" he whispered, walking over to me and kneeling down beside me. I had half a mind to order him to leave, but I couldn't bring myself to use that kind of Pharaoh-like power.

"I know you're angry with me," he muttered softly and put a hand down on my shoulder. "And I'm so sorry that I yelled at you last night… I shouldn't have. I was extremely out of place, I just felt like you wouldn't listen to me if I weren't shouting at you… I was wrong and I'm truly sorry, but I don't want you to think that I don't care about you. I know you're hurting and you're upset right now and I don't want to make that worse… I'm so sorry…"

Slowly, I turned to face him a little. "If I have to be Pharaoh now, I don't want to feel like my advisers are constantly belittling me. I was upset and emotional last night, but I wasn't going to just rush into a war. I don't want you to shout at me every time I say something that you don't agree with and, to be honest, you're probably going to disagree with me a lot because I have no idea what I'm doing. If I'm going to be Pharaoh, I need you to respect me, though, even when I'm wrong… I can't have you screaming at me like you did last night," I muttered to him, not making eye contact with him.

He nodded softly and slowly wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug. "I'm sorry Drake… I truly am, but locking yourself up in this room is not going to help anything. Please come out… Your mother, your siblings and your friends are worried sick about you. Tommy was even worried that because he left you to wake up alone, you might have done something as drastic as hurting yourself…"

"I'm not suicidal…" I said. "Life sucks right now but I realize that killing myself isn't going to make things better, it would just make everything worse, because then I would be alone in the Afterlife, Egypt wouldn't have a Pharaoh and Adam wouldn't have a lover… Not to mention, my mother would lose another child and my siblings would lose their oldest brother…"

"Well I'm truly relieved to hear that," he said softly, pressing a gentle kiss into my hair. "I'm sorry for yesterday, Drake. I love you… I just want to be here for you and help you as much as I can and I'm so sorry… I promise it won't happen again."

"What happened that changed your mind?" I asked quietly.

"Well Cassidy talked a lot of sense into me once you left and then I just needed to cool off. I realized I was completely wrong to act like that… Now I just want you to trust that I won't do that to you again and I want you to come out with me…" he said quietly. "Please?"

I nodded slowly and he helped me up from my fetal position. He kept his arm around my waist and started walking with me out of the room. "I'm sorry too, Alex…" I whispered, leaning into him.

"It's alright, Drake, you were right…" he muttered.


	12. I Won't Let You Close Enough To Hurt Me

**Chapter Eleven: I Won't Let You Close Enough To Hurt Me  
>Adam's POV<strong>

Shoved forward, the black bag that had been tied over my head for what felt like an eternity was ripped free and I stumbled down to a hard, cold floor. I rolled, bumping into something hard and chilled, like metal, before groaning in discomfort. Even the faint light of the room I had been tossed into was too much and I had to shield my eyes until they adjusted. When I was able to see, I wished I hadn't.

The floor was made of concrete, covered in a layer of dirt, grime and suspicious stains that looked like dried blood. Gasping softly, I pulled myself up into a sitting position, glancing around the room. The walls were stone, also covered in grime. There was one wall that was nothing but metal bars, rusted in the corners with a sliding metal door. Opposite the bars, pressed against my back, was a metal and canvas cot with a dirty, stained pillow on top. There weren't any windows in the stone walls, and the only light trickling into the room were grime-covered ceiling lamps that only seemed to reach the middle of the walls with their light.

Whimpering softly, I crawled up onto the cot, wiping my knees and shins off of dust and something that was oddly wet and sticky. My heart was racing in my chest and I could feel my hands shaking as I clutched the pillow. I didn't know where I was or what day it could have been, but I knew that I wasn't in Egypt. The dungeons back in my palace weren't anywhere close to this condition. Sure, the luxuries were close to none, but at least they were clean.

I bit down on my bottom lip, drawing my knees up to my chest on the cot. I could hear distant shouts, scuffles and screeching noises, but nothing that sounded familiar. Swallowing the lump from my throat, I shivered a little, staring hard at the cell door that was only about ten feet from me.

In the back of my mind, my kidnapping kept replaying and rolling over itself in a loop. The hands, the shouts, the beating I took before falling and being injected with that serum. Hearing Drake calling out to me before the bag was thrown over my head and I was dragged from the chamber. I remembered that I tried fighting them off, tugging at them as much as I could. But I was weak, virtually immobile. I could do little more than shout at them, and even after a while they silenced me by hitting me on the back of the head.

Gods, how far away from home was I? A few hours? A few days? What if we had been on the road for weeks before I was finally brought here and dumped into this cell? Shivering again, I curled closer in on myself, whimpering softly as the lights in the hallway outside of the cell flickered a little. There was a loud crack down the hall followed by a scream of pain, and I trembled.

If I was here, where was Drake? Did he get out? Or did some of those awful men stay behind and… No. I couldn't.. I couldn't think like that. I heard them talk—they didn't go after him. They couldn't have. But if they hadn't, who was to say that no one else did? What if Drake was still stuck inside that room that he had fallen into?

"Gods…" I whispered, burying my face into my hands. I should never have taken Drake to the pyramids. I should have stayed in the palace with him; I should have taken him back to our bedroom after our late breakfast and spent the day making love to him. I shouldn't have…

"Well, well, boys… New arrival…" I heard a voice. I lifted my head quickly, staring with wide eyes across the short space to see three burly, young guards standing outside the bars. Each of them had their hair cropped short, buzz-like, almost. Two of them had green eyes, the third—and the one in the middle—had brown. They looked like they were each about six feet tall, packed with muscle and a scowl to match. I swallowed the lump from my throat as Mr. Brown Eyes leaned on the door of my cell.

"Oh.. Looks like we got ourselves some royalty!" He cheered and I winced, looking away from him. From my peripheral I could see him crack a wide and sinister smirk. "What's the matter? Missing your dusty, run down home?" I snarled softly to myself, clenching my jaw.

"Aww, man, this fucker's Egyptian!" One of the other's said, and I risked a glance back to them. Mr. Brown Eyes narrowed his glare on me, peering through the bars.

"So it would seem. Egyptian royalty—must be the Pharaoh, no doubt? Didn't Ezekiel say they snagged him under Emir's orders?" Emir? No… It couldn't be.

"Yeah, he did. He also said that there was a cute little brunette twink wearing some mighty fine jewels locked up in a secret room. Said he looked like a wild time, too…" I howled, lurching from the cot and launching myself at the bars. The three guards stepped back as I reached through cell door and swiped at them, snarling viciously.

"Oh-ho! We've got a fighter!" Brown Eyes cheered, smirking wildly back at me. I hissed, clenching the bars in my fists as tight as possible. As long as I was alive, I would not stand for anyone to speak about my husband in such a manner. He was not some guard's plaything. He was just as royal as I was, and anyone who laid an ill-mannered hand on him would pay.

"What's the matter, Pharaoh? Don't want anyone messing up your pretty whore?" I snarled, swiping at them again.

"Don't you talk about my husband that way!" I shouted back, watching their eyes widen some. Brown Eyes howled with laughter.

"So he's a cocksucking whore! Even better!" I gripped the bars tightly, growling and fuming at them from my place. Brown Eyes took a step forward, leaning close to stare me dead in the eye. "What's wrong, Pharaoh? Protective of your cocksucking slut? Or are you just a sad excuse for something threatening?" I swiped at him again, clawing his cheek with my nails.

"Fuck!" He shouted, reaching into the bars and grabbing at me. I stepped away, narrowly missing his fingers trying to curl around my throat. He hissed at me as the other two guards came to his side, pulling him away.

"Cool it, Derek," one of them said, tugging on his arm. Derek? He sounded like a douchebag. Derek stepped away from the metal bars, glaring harshly at me as he touched his cheek. There were faint scratch marks in his skin, one of them swelling with the slightest bit of blood. He touched them before staring at his fingers and snarling.

"Fucking bitch," Derek said, glaring at me. "Think you're all tough and shit, don't you? Think just because you're a fucking Pharaoh means you own and rule everything? Guess what, cocksucker—you're a nobody in this place! You're dog who's gonna be kicked to the ground until he learns a lesson!"

"Come on, Derek. He's not worth the time right now," one of the other guards said, tugging at Derek, but he didn't move. He continued to glare at me, and I right back at him. "Derek, come on. You can play with him later."

Derek pulled away from the bars, but not before spitting into my cell, muttering something about filthy Egyptians before walking off. I let out a heavy breath I hadn't realized that I had been holding since backing away from the cell. The weight of Derek's eyes penetrating mine was still hanging thick in the back of my mind, even as an hour or more had passed since the incident.

I hadn't realized that I was shaking until I looked down and saw my hands practically vibrating. Knotting them together in my lap, I leaned back against the wall of the cell, breathing as evenly as I possibly could. Emir… It couldn't have been the same Emir as that of the new king of Persia. We'd just had a council with them recently and we had agreed for peace. I'd shaken his hand and everything on the matter…

Closing my eyes I sighed heavily. Even still… The peace treaty could have been a cover. But why cover up the desire for war? Most people usually just started one. Then again, wars started on lies and hate. Maybe this was the first stage in war? But why start a war? What cause was there? Wars often started over an argument or a battle for land or wealth. Egypt and Persia thrived well enough on their own, why a war?

Groaning softly, I tucked my knees to my chest. Nothing was making sense. Why would Emir kidnap me? Was he hoping that, in doing so, he would start a war? Technically, it was possible. But if he was hoping to weaken Egypt's status by removing its Pharaoh, he should have taken Drake as well. I had it written into my will that if anything had happened to me—anything at all—Drake was to be Pharaoh. He would own the palace, the servants, wealth and everything. He would be Pharaoh. If Emir was trying to remove Egypt's Pharaoh, then he had failed.

Or maybe he had something else planned for Drake.

"Drake…" I whispered softly to myself. "Drake, baby, I'm so sorry…"

If Emir had something else planned for Drake, Egypt would be in dire need. Sure, Cassidy or Alexander could take over as Pharaoh, but they were just advisors. If Drake went missing as well, Egypt would have no true leader, due to the fact that Drake and I had not yet discussed who would succeed us once we were gone. Then again, though, we had been planning on having such a discussion when the time was most appropriate. We had not—and could not—have foreseen this…

As much as I didn't want to believe it, Emir of Persia was, no doubt, trying to start a war. In taking me, he had committed an act of treason against our treaty. If he had taken Drake as well, then Egypt would in terrible danger. The lives of my people would be at risk and everything my mother and father had worked for, and their families before them, would fall to ruin.

I couldn't let it happen. I couldn't let Egypt fall to darkness. I couldn't let anything happen to Drake. My baby had been through so much in such a short amount of time and he was young yet. I rested a hand over my heart, feeling tears stinging my eyes at the thought of him. Drake… He must be so scared right now. So lost and confused and hurt. The last time we had been separated it had been due to poison. I had fallen ill with it because Elijah tried to kill me. But, at least, then I was still with Drake. Not so much in true presence, but I was there. My body was. I was alive and he knew that. With me being here in Persia… He wouldn't know.

"Drake… Baby…" I whimpered softly, tucking my head into my arms on the tops of my knees. I shook softly, crying quietly. I should never have taken Drake to the pyramids. None of this would have happened. I wouldn't have been taken and Drake… Gods, was Drake even alive? Did he make it out of that room? Had anyone gone to look for him? Or had they forgotten and let him starve to death in that isolated chamber?

I coughed softly, feeling sick at the idea of Drake dying. He was too young… Far too young to pass. If anyone were to die, it would be me. Drake could defend me and say I had years yet, but my father had passed on in his forties. And he'd lived a good, long and prosperous life, short as it might have been. It would really be no different if I went. But not Drake. He had years ahead of him.

'_But without you, he might as well be dead. He's said it time and time again that he needs you to live. He always says he can't go on without you._' I bit my lip, forcing the thought away. I'd made it no secret that if Drake were to pass before me, I would gladly join him in the After on my own terms. I wouldn't want to wait. After the supposed death of Alexander, I couldn't lose Drake. It would be too much. But he was young yet… He had years of life and love ahead of him… He could survive without me.

At least… I had to hope that he could.


	13. Living On The Edge

**Chapter Twelve: Living On the Edge, Living On the Edge  
>Cassidy's POV<strong>

Adam had been gone for almost a month now and every day Drake looked like his heart broke just a little bit more. He was wearing more makeup to cover up the dark circles that had formed under his eyes, and the worry lines were starting to define themselves in Drake's beautiful face. By no means did he look old, no, he was still young; he was vibrant and made a statement every time he entered a room, but if you saw him removing his makeup at night, you could see just how broken he was. He was a beautiful young Pharaoh missing his other half and there was nothing more depressing than seeing Drake falling apart.

He was actually very good at hiding how crushed he really was. He felt like life had just kicked him in the groin and kept kicking him down so he just didn't have a chance to get back up, but he acted like he ruled the world. He managed to carry the image of Pharaoh quite well, but juggling all of his responsibilities while also trying to find Adam was proving to be quite a challenge for him. More often than not, I found him zoning out in meetings, or just tuning everything out. He only looked like he was paying attention in all of the meetings we had with our ally countries and messengers from Persia.

They admitted that Adam was in Persia and they repeatedly came up with excuses like "we don't know his exact location and even if we did, we couldn't simply give him back to you. He's trespassed onto our territory and that can't go unnoticed." Politically they were covering their asses with all the bull shit they were coming up with, but in truth, they were bending the truth enough to make it seem like they weren't in the wrong and there wasn't much we could do to prove that they were lying, short of invading Persia. Drake, Alexander and I all decided that negotiation was the best way to go about the situation and that invading Persia would only cause a war and a lot of unneeded deaths.

So far, negotiations were not proceeding very well. Drake was desperate to get his lover back and he was willing to offer just about anything in his power to give. Of course we didn't start off offering so much, but each proposal was turned down by Persia's king, Emir. Honestly, I was beginning to hate that bastard, but starting a war with Persia was definitely not smart. I had no doubt that we could win a war with Persia but it would be devastating to their country as well as ours… The causalities would be unbelievable, and that would probably result in the murder of Adam…

However, we couldn't ignore that them holding Adam hostage (whether they would admit to that or not) was an act of war, and if negotiating didn't start to turn around soon, things were going to end badly. Drake was about ready to have Emir murdered in his sleep with some super secret agents or something and if Emir didn't start cooperating, I was fearing what Drake might resort to doing.

Something deep in the pit of my heart, I had a dreadful feeling that Emir would not give up Adam, no matter how many things we offered him.

Today was just another meeting with a few delegates from our allied countries to discuss possibilities to get Adam back should negotiation fail. All of the men were suggesting anything they could think of that would possibly avoid war, like having someone pose as a new Persian soldier and guard to the king and secretly searching for Adam. However we all knew that if negotiations did fail, war was almost unavoidable. All of the delegates agreed that they would back us up till the end and they would fight alongside us if it came down at that, but they made it very clear that they wanted to avoid that at all costs, except for the cost of Adam's life, that is.

About half way through the meeting, I noticed that distant, longing look that often filled Drake's brilliant blue eyes. It was a look of passion and needing for his lost lover, but I came to associate that look with the fact that Drake wasn't truly paying attention to what was being discussed or what was happening around him. He would turn his head to whoever was taking and he'd nod or make "mhm" sounds to make it seem like he was paying attention, but I knew better. Everyone thought he was intent in the conversation, but he wasn't fooling me. I'd have to have a serious discussion with him when we weren't in front of half a dozen national leaders. I couldn't let them know that Drake was zoning out, thinking of his long lost lover…

When the meeting let out, we really weren't any closer to solving our issues. Our allies agreed to give us money and treasures to offer Emir, and we were grateful but we had enough jewels and money to last for a thousand negotiations. More money didn't really seem to improve our situation. Emir wasn't very interested in money, it seemed. We'd offered him millions and that wasn't enough…

The meeting dispersed and Drake was expected to join the other leaders for dinner, but I kept Drake back before he could follow the others for dinner. "Drake," I said quietly, slapping his arm hard enough to sting but not enough to leave a mark or anything.

"Ow! What the fuck, Cassidy?" he hissed, turning on me. He looked like he wanted to be angry, but dwelling on Adam just made him so miserable, that he just didn't have the energy to be angry with me.

"I'm sorry, Drake, but you needed to stop this. I understand that being without Adam is depressing and it's hard for you to deal with but you can't just not pay attention in these meetings! They're important if we're going to get your husband back safely!" I exclaimed. Alex came up next to us, looking like he agreed with me but he probably didn't approve of me slapping the young Pharaoh. I realized that wasn't the greatest idea, but Drake _needed_ to understand that these meetings were important for us, especially him, and he needed to pay attention and participate.

"I'm sorry, Cassidy, I'm trying, okay? I'm sorry that I'm not a perfect pharaoh but I don't exactly know how to be one!" Drake exclaimed and his eyes were shining with moisture. I prayed that he wasn't going to start crying, because then I would just feel like a huge asshole, but Drake needed to understand that he had to take these meetings seriously. "But these meetings aren't helping anyway. It's all basically 'we'll give you more money to offer Emir' and 'we really want to avoid war'. Okay, well you and I both know that money isn't going to get us out of this! And I understand no one wants a war, I don't want that either, but we may not have any other choice! Why do I need to pay attention when none of them are coming up with any other suggestions other than what has been discussed in the last ten meetings! They aren't helping, so please get off my back and stop lecturing me. And don't hit me again!"

Alex reached out to him and kissed him gently, trying to calm him down. "Drake, please relax…" he said quietly, holding the boy in his arms. "Cassidy isn't made or angry or anything, he'd just trying to make you understand how serious this is. Our allies can help us get Adam back…" Drake had gone rigid half way through Alexander's attempt to calm him and that worried me greatly.

Drake pulled out of Alex's hold and pushed him away. "You don't need to tell me how serious this is, Alexander. Trust me, there is no one who is taking this more seriously than I am. In case you forgot, my whole other half is missing! I don't think this is some sort of joke, so both of you please just shut up. When those people start saying things that will actually help, I'll start listening." Drake was fuming now, but he still looked more miserable than angry. The poor boy just couldn't live happily without Adam being there. They hadn't been separated physically for more than a few days since they were married…

"Drake, honey…" I said quietly, reaching out to gently take his shoulders into my grasp. "We know you understand and we know you're trying… I just… I'm asking you to make more of an effort to pay attention in these meetings? I know it seems like they aren't helping and maybe they aren't but these people are the only close allies we have that are willing to help us. I know it's not easy, honey, no one's saying it is… But you need to be the best you can be for all of us… For Adam…"

Once those last two words left my lips, I wished I could have just sucked them back up because several tears broke free of Drake's ducts and rolled down his cheeks like a perfect portrait.

A moment later, Alex hit me a lot harder than I had hit Drake. I was sure it would be bruised by tomorrow morning. "Way to go, Cass," he hissed at me and he pulled Drake into his arms again, hugging the boy tightly. "Drake, baby, Cassidy isn't trying to upset you, okay? We know how hard this is for the rest of us. It's even worse for you, we know… Trust us, it isn't easy to see you so depressed and upset. We don't want to make that any worse… I know we're asking a lot of you, but I also know that if there is anyone strong enough to make it through this, it is you."

"Oh yeah right, I'm just a kid who doesn't know what the fuck he's doing," he replied, tears streaming his face. "Adam only put this in his will because he's so in love with me. We all know I can't do this. That's why Cassidy just hit me, because I'm an awful pharaoh. I'd rather Adam left one of you in charge, I really do. Maybe I should just put one of you in charge… It'd probably be better for everyone."

"No… Drake, no, don't say that…" I said quietly. "Adam didn't leave all of this to you because he's so madly in love with you. He left all of this to you because you've lived through more than most people and you're strong enough to make it through this. You're brave and for not having all the teachings Adam had to be pharaoh, you're doing a great job… You really are. I'm not just saying that. You're pharaoh because you should be… Because you have what it takes to pull through. I know you don't believe that, but it's true…" I reached over to put a comforting hand on Drake's shoulder.

He pulled back enough so he could actually look at us and he pushed his tears away from his face, some of his makeup smearing across his eyes. "If you really want me to believe that, you need to stop belittling me and stop lecturing me on what I am and am not supposed to do…" he said quietly. "Because if I can't make any decisions on my own, then you might as well take my title from me now."

"We're sorry Drake… We aren't trying to belittle you, we're just trying to help you, that's all…" Alex said quietly. "But we have been a little… aggressive with you lately and we're sorry, especially for Cassidy hitting you. We all want the same thing here, okay?"

"Okay… Can you go to the dinner without me? Just tell them I'm feeling under the weather or something? I don't want to deal with them anymore tonight. I'm just… too tired," Drake requested and while we didn't like the idea of him not showing up to the dinner he was supposed to be hosting, we nodded.

"Go lay down, baby, we'll take care of everything for you," Alex promised and Drake nodded, tears still pooling and barely clinging to his eyes.

It broke my heart to see Drake so depressed and kicked down…


	14. How Did It End Up Like This?

**Chapter Thirteen: How Did It End Up Like This?**

**Drake's POV**

Months went by. I wanted to stop counting them, stop counting days, hours, minutes, _seconds_, even. I wanted to stop the clock that was ticking away inside of my head, reminding me that more and more time was passing, wasting. More time between myself and Adam. More time lost between us. More, more, more…

With this pestering clock, there were the underlying fears that I tried so desperately to suppress. Was Adam alright? Was he in grave danger? Was he being tortured? Were they feeding him at all? Were they keeping him, at least, decently healthy? All of these thoughts, these Godforsaken whispers in my ear constantly bombarded my mind and my heart. They would sit in wait, murmuring like a devil whenever I was alone for a moment.

But these whispers were not the worst things that I'd heard or feared. No, they couldn't hold candles to my true horrors. My dreams—_my dreams_—were what truly plagued me. With the whispers, there were only soft sounds and shreds of doubt. Tiny annoyances that you could push away and ignore. But dreams… Dreams lingered long after they'd been dreamt. They hung around like a cloud of death, detailed enough to almost seem like a memory. Too painful to push away.

My dreams had become all variations of one another. And they all had similar traits and one common factor: my beloved, Adam, and some unspeakable horror being wrought upon him. In the first few months of Adam's absence, they had all been the same, for the most party. I would often been trapped in that room, the one I'd gotten myself locked into, helpless as I watched those men beat him and take him away. Sometimes the men were faceless, other times they looked like the guards and messengers from Persia. There was even one instance where I'd dreamt that Bradley was the head soldier, viciously torturing my husband before dragging him away.

Similar to that scenario, I had dreamt of anther place; the inside of a dirty, grimy and dark cell. Persian guards were beating and kicking at Adam, sneering and calling out such awful names to him. They told him that no one was coming for him. That no one was going to save him. That he would forever be a slave to Emir and that his beloved Egypt would fall to ruin. Sometimes, they even told him I'd died at his loss, and that he had nothing left…

This, however, was not the worst of my dreams.

As the time passed, though, my dreams began to change again. At first, they were simple; Adam would stand by the fountain where we were married, unable to see, hear, or acknowledge my presence. No matter how hard I pushed at him or tried to make him understand that I was there, he was frozen, his fingers twirling through the water of the fountain.

Recently, though, they'd all been the same. Exactly the same. I would be lying in my bed, dressed in one of Adam's robes, grieving as always for him. Suddenly, he would appear. He would come to the side of the bed, dressed in the attire that I had last seen him in. He would be beautiful, just so beautiful, as he climbed onto the bed to join my side, and he would wrap his great, big arms around me, safe and warm. He would kiss my hair and sing to me. Oh, Gods, he would sing the most beautiful songs to me. Sometimes they would be in English and sometimes they would be in our ancient Arabic. A lot of the times, I found myself enjoying the Arabic verses more.

But he would sing to me, regardless. His voice would be soft, pure, gentle and warm as I'd always remembered it to be. And he would smile that smile he gets whenever he looked at me. That kind of smile that breaks your heart from how utterly in love it is. Adam would sing and smile and hold me like he never went away. Like he never vanished from my life at all.

We would talk a little, Adam and I. Mostly, though, I would cry in his arms for how happy I was to see him again. And he would start crying too, after a while. He always cried when I professed my love in Egypt's native language. "Ana bhebeek," I would say, softly at first, before nearly screaming it at him. I would cling so tightly that it was often a wonder that I didn't hurt him in my dreams. "Ana bhebeek, ana bhebeek!" I would repeat it, over and over, I would repeat these words, this love, and Adam would just cry as we clung to one another.

And he would say it back to me. "Ana bhebeek," he would whisper against my lips as he kissed me. His tears would mix with mine against our mouths and on our tongues and he would keep whispering back to me. "Ana bhebeek…"

At that point, I would wake, alone, with tears streaming down my face, my voice and my throat painfully raw from screaming so much in my sleep. And the pain would be so overwhelming, so all-consuming that I can never help but to wail in agony. I cannot fight it. I cannot even hope to suppress it in the slightest against the pillows or the fabric of Adam's robes. I am frozen, facing the ceiling, facing the walls, facing any part of our bedroom while I wailed in agony.

Just last night, I'd had such a dream. I screamed at Adam, howling at him how much I loved him and wanted him back. And he'd said it so softly back to me that it was almost silent. I woke up in pure, raging pain and grief, and I couldn't stop the pained sobs and shrieks that tore from my lips. I wanted to, but I couldn't. I physically couldn't. And, so, I lied helpless, tangled in the mess of blankets and Adam's robes as the walls echoed with my pathetic misery.

I stayed in bed for a long while after that. I had no energy to move, no will to exist amongst my family and friends. I couldn't even lift my arms, even if I wanted to. The pain and exhaustion that was tearing at my chest, ripping open a black hole had left me drained. Part of me longed to go back to sleep and to, by chance, regain some of the lost motivation. But sleep meant more of this dream, of this pain. Sleep threatened me more than once, but then the image of Adam, crying and whispering "ana bhebeek" startled me back into conscious thought.

No. I could not go back to sleep.

Eventually, I managed to pull myself from the empty comforts of the bed. My body felt sticky and warm, exhaustion and something like nausea made my head spin in a slow, sloppy circle. I groaned quietly, pressing a warm palm to my damp face. I felt hot to the touch, sweat along my brow and nearly dried tears on my cheeks. I pushed myself to the edge of the bed, and I tried to slip off and stand. But my knees buckled and I collapsed to the floor, clinging to the blankets as my head swam in a murky pool of congestion and exhaustion.

I was faintly aware of a soft knock at the door, and a muffled groan sounded from my lips. The door clicked as the edges of my vision blurred with darkness. At first there was nothing, but then a gasp from someone else fluttered through my senses and a rush of footsteps drew near to me. Gentle hands fathered me up and lifted me to my feet. I swayed, clinging to the figure. I didn't need to look to see that it was Tommy at my side.

"Gods, Drake.. you look like hell," he said softly, and I snorted weakly.

"Good morning to you, too," I mumbled. From my peripheral I could see that Tommy was frowning a little.

"Morning? Drake… it's almost four in the afternoon. You've been in bed since early last night." I frowned deeply, looking over at him. His brown eyes were deeply concerned and I sighed softly, looking away from him.

"Oh. Why was I not woken sooner?" I asked, pulling away, straightening out the robe on my slim figure. Tommy folded his hands together in front of him.

"Hiei came in earlier, but you wouldn't budge, so he let you sleep. I came back to check on you, myself, because there are Persian messengers here, and they desire an audience with you."

I groaned softly, running my fingers through my hair. These meetings never went well, and for obvious reasons. Nothing we offered, of value or not, to King Emir was accepted. He had no interest in any more money or land expansion, but he didn't specify what he wanted, either. He was unclear in his demands and never gave into the one request I've had of him: to have Adam back in my arms, safe, sound, and alive.

"Tell them I do not wish to speak with them. Tell them Emir can shove his gifts up his ass." I growled, going to the vanity before slumping down into the seat. Sighing, I rummaged through the drawers before finding the empty box from the black hair dye I'd used on Adam's hair months ago. Staring at me made me want to break down again, so I slammed the door shut.

"I can't do that, Drake. Normally, I would, in a heartbeat, because I completely agree with you. However… this is different," the tone in Tommy's voice worried me, and I looked at him through the mirror, rubbing foundation into my cheeks and under my eyes. "They have someone with them—it's not Adam… But… Just, come, please?"

Dressing in clean clothes, I pulled on a fresh robe of Adam's, one with gold detailing and deep red fabric, before strapping on my sandals. I walked to the door, Tommy right on my heels as I pushed open the door. The hallways were bright with the afternoon sun and heat soaked through the robe. I felt warm, but chills were racing down my spine. Emir had sent someone? Who? And why not Adam if he was going through the trouble of sending a person?

Tommy followed close behind me for a while before catching up, walking in a matched pace beside me. I stared ahead, watching the walls blow by in a blur of color and stone before the double doors of the throne room came into view. I brought my hands up, pushing them both open before striding into the room, not breaking in step for a moment. Two Persian guards lifted their heads, looking over at me. Between them was a man, and in front of them was the messenger I'd seen and met with so many times before.

"What is this?" I asked, motioning to the man between the two guards. As I drew closer, I realized he wasn't really a man. He looked to be no older than me, with a wide strip of cropped blond hair stretching from the top of his forehead to the back of his head, touching the top of his neck. His eyes were cast down, his lids dusted in smoky gray powder and black eyeliner. His cheeks were dusted in a soft pink and his lips painted heavily in red. Piercings clung to both of his ears, and his strong, lithe form was dressed in a sheer red top and tight red shorts. I knew, immediately, that he was a pleasure slave.

"King Emir sends his apologies that he could not comply to your request, he does hope, sincerely, that you will enjoy this exotic gift," the messenger motioned to the man and the slave was pushed forward. His wrists were bound with a thin white rope, bangles and jewels clinking softly. I glowered at them.

"He dare denies me my husband and, instead, sends me a _pleasure servant_?" I seethed, clenching my hands into fists. The pleasure servant remained motionless, his fists hanging below his shirt.

"If Your Grace does not find the gift satisfying, we will gladly return it to King Emir," the messenger said as the two guards clapped hands on the servant. I watched as the boy flinched and whined ever so softly, looking utterly terrified. His eyes found mine in fear, a plea washing through their soft blue depth. My heart clenched painfully. I knew that look. It was the look, the dread, of an abused servant. One who'd been taken advantage of more than once.

"No," I said harshly, and the servant bowed his head, shaking between the two guards. "No. I will keep him. But know that King Emir does not have my thanks in this matter. He will never have my gratitude until my husband is returned. You tell him that. Now go." I hissed. The messenger bowed and the two guards let the servant go. The three of them turned and vanished through the door, leaving me in silence with Tommy and the servant.

Sighing, I walked forward to the servant boy, taking note to how badly he was shaking as I reached out. I untied the rope from his wrists, glancing at the burnt red flesh of his wrists beneath. They couldn't even treat my "gift" with care…

"What's your name?" I asked gently. He didn't raise his head.

"Sauli." I nodded, gently lifting his hand with a hand. His eyes met mine for a moment before he looked away.

"You don't need to be afraid, Sauli… I didn't keep you for pleasure. I kept you so that you wouldn't have to be afraid. I know you won't understand that, or even believe it, but… know that you won't be harmed, alright?" Sauli lifted his gaze back to mine, searching before nodding slowly.


	15. This Is a Whole New Perspective

**Chapter Fourteen: This Is a Whole New Perspective  
>Sauli's POV<strong>

Travelling from Persia to Egypt with King Emir's guards wasn't very pleasurable, since all four of them were men who had used me for their sexual satisfaction in the past and one in particular, Derek, liked to use me all the time. He was none too gentle about it either, so, of course, he forced me to have sex with him every single night in his tent while we were travelling to Egypt.

It was a rather long trip…

But I wasn't nearly as afraid of the guards who were taking me to Egypt, as I was of the man I was being delivered to: the Pharaoh of Egypt. I had heard nothing but good things about both Pharaoh Adam and his husband, but that didn't necessarily mean they were great people. Being a fantastic leader and a fantastic person were two separate things and even if Pharaoh Drake was humble and only wanted his husband, once he saw me, he would probably change his mind and use me however he pleased… It was how they all ended up.

When we finally reached Egypt and I was pulled into the palace's throne room, I was shocked at just how young and beautiful Pharaoh Drake was. He wasn't more than a few years older than me and his hair was a beautiful crimson, the bangs and edges freshly dyed in a shining gold and, for a moment, I wondered if the gold was actually real melted gold mixed into hair dye. It wouldn't have surprised me much at all. However, behind his beautiful hair, makeup and natural beauty, I could see how tired and anguished he really was. Maybe my fears of him had been wrong after all…

It was also a huge shock to see the Pharaoh get so upset over King Emir sending him a pleasure servant as a sort of peace offering. I didn't really believe in love because every person I'd ever come in contact with only seemed to care about sex and power. I assumed that the world was the same and that no one truly was in love with one other person, their "soul mate" as some people might call it. Perhaps I had been wrong after all…

But when Derek grabbed me and said he would return me to Persia, I wanted to be sick. I could already feel his oversized cock slamming into me with no prep and no lubricant, tearing cry after cry from my throat with every last thrust. The shock that I actually wanted to stay in Egypt shouldn't have been so surprising because I had been so terrified of the Pharaoh ever since I had found out that King Emir was going to give me away.

Now I turned my eyes to the Pharaoh of Egypt, staring at him with pleading eyes. I didn't want to go back to Persia with Derek… I used to believe he loved me and all he truly cared about was making me scream and writhe beneath him. I couldn't go back and spend my entire life being his fuck toy, when I wasn't pleasing the rest of the palace, that is…

Eventually, however, Pharaoh Drake agreed to keep me but when the Persian guards were gone, I was still tense with worry. Pharaoh approached me slowly, his look of anger and the want to just tear into Derek had vanished from his face, leaving him looking more depressed than anything else, but I wasn't entirely sure if I was reading him right. I didn't know anything about him, after all. I didn't have enough information about him to read his emotions accurately.

"What is your name?" he asked quietly once he stopped in front of me, standing at exactly the same height as me.

"S-Sauli…" I said quietly, glancing away from him. Suddenly my fear of the Pharaoh had returned and I couldn't even begin to understand my feelings in this. One minute I don't want to go to Egypt because I'm terrified that the Pharaoh will be just like King Emir. Then the Pharaoh refuses me because he doesn't want me and I'm silently pleading with him to let me stay because I didn't want to be used by Emir's horrible guards anymore. Now I'm back to being terrified of the Pharaoh? What the Hell?

_You have every right to be afraid of him, Sauli, just relax a little but don't let your guard down…_ Hopefully I could take my own advice.

"Sauli…" Pharaoh said, smiling faintly but there was very little happiness in his face. I imagined that if he smiled when he was truly happy, he would have been gorgeous enough to make any straight man yearn for him. "That's a very beautiful name," he told me and I blushed a little despite myself. I hoped he wanted coming onto me…

"Thank you, M-my Pharaoh…" I replied respectfully but I couldn't help but wonder if he was really "my" Pharaoh. I wasn't Egyptian… Not yet anyway. I supposed if I lived in his palace, he was My Pharaoh.

"Actually… it's just Drake," he told me, sighing softly. "I have enough people calling me Pharaoh and honestly I'm kind of tired of it." He looked me in the eye, searching me in silence for a while and I wanted to look away but I just couldn't defy him… "Listen, I know you are probably afraid of me and suddenly being thrown into my palace," he started, keeping his tone gentle and almost sweet. "Emir sent you to me as a pleasure servant but, to tell you the truth, I don't want or need a pleasure servant… The only person I want to have sex with is my husband and… right now he's not here, so I don't want to be with anyone else, whether it's just sex or really for love. Sauli, I'm sure it will take you a while to feel comfortable here, but you have nothing to fear from me, all right?"

I never expected to hear something like that come out of the Pharaoh's mouth. I always expected him to take me to his bedroom and force me to my knees so I could blow him. I never, in a million years, believed that he would tell me he didn't want to keep me for having sex with him, that he flat out didn't want sex from me period. And before I knew what was happening, I tossed myself forward the few feet that separated us and I hugged him tight, pressing myself to him for a while. He seemed frozen for a moment and I realized that it was probably the most inappropriate thing I could have done, but before I could pull away, he hugged me gently. He didn't hold me tight to him or tight at all, really, he just put his arms around me loosely and that was all.

"I'm sorry, My Phar- Drake…" I said quietly, pulling myself away from him slowly. "I shouldn't have hugged you like that, I just… no one has ever been so kind to me. No one has ever told me that I don't have to be their bed slave and… I just… thank you, so much."

Drake smiled at me again. "You're welcome," he said quietly. "Like I said, I know it'll take a while for you to be comfortable here, but you have nothing to fear. I require nothing from you. I'll provide you with food, clothing and a place to stay until you decide you wish to leave, but you're free here." I shook a little, just out of complete shock and awe. Perhaps Drake really was as great as everyone said. "Come, I'll take you to one of the guest rooms. You can pick one out for yourself." He pulled his robes close to his body, as if he were cold despite the desert heat and he turned, walking out of the throne room and I followed after him.

"You really love you husband, don't you?" I asked him quietly and he glanced over at me with shocked and curious eyes. "I'm sorry… Gosh, I usually don't cross so many lines like this, I'm sorry…"

"No, no, Sauli, you're fine. I… I do love my husband very much. I miss him terribly and I only pray that he's still alive and, at least, healthy," he said quietly, a sort of agonizing sadness filling his eyes. "I want nothing more than to have him back in my arms… Why do you ask?"

"Well… When I found out I was being sent to you as a gift, I was rather afraid of you, to be honest. I thought you would use me like so many others have, but you don't want that at all. You're so committed to your husband it's shocking. I didn't know love like that existed… So many guards in Persia only spoke about how much of a whore you were and that the only reason Pharaoh Adam married you was because you would put out for him even when no one else would… I know that they were just making up cruel, rude rumors now, but before I didn't," I told him honestly. "I'm just so shocked that a ruler of a country can be so caring and sincere… I'm so sorry that King Emir has done this to you."

"Well, thank you very much, Sauli. I'm glad that I could prove your expectations wrong," he said quietly, giving me a gentle smile and I nodded gently, walking with him in silence. I couldn't believe how huge this palace really was. Emir's palace was big but this? This was just magnificently over the top and it was decorated with so many beautiful paintings and sculptures. The whole place was so completely beautiful and wonderfully decorated and I was paying so much attention to the details of the palace, I didn't notice just how far we had been walking.

"He is alive…" I finally said to break the tension and awkward silence that had fallen over us. He looked over at me with curious eyes. "Your husband, I mean… I had the honor of meeting him once. He's alive, in the dungeons of King Emir's palace. He's not having an easy time, though… He's holding on and I believe he will hold on for as long as he has to, but they don't treat him well at all… When I saw him, he was rather sick…" I wondered if I should have been so honest with him, because he looked even more upset, but he needed to know.

"Thank you for telling me…" Drake said softly, a faint quiver to his voice. I wondered if he was close to crying because he looked like he could just break down in the hall, but he took me to a door and opened it, revealing a beautifully decorated room with a gorgeous mural on the wall. "I will have a fresh wardrobe delivered to you in the morning, all right? For now, I'll let you get settled in. There's a fully stocked bathroom joining your room."

"My room…? My Gods, I've never had my own room before…" I said but I didn't mean to let it slip from my tongue.

"I hope you enjoy it. I'll come to get you for dinner in a few hours and tomorrow I'll take you on a tour of the palace so you know your way around. My advisers and family will love to get to know you and they'll want to make you feel right at home. Feel free to relax or wander… Whatever you would like to do. I'll be back here at six so we can go to dinner," he told me quietly.

"Thank you My Phar- Drake, thank you so much," I thanked him and he smiled, mumbling a soft 'of course' before he disappeared down the hall, leaving me to my new room. I decided to take a bath to freshen up since I hadn't really gotten a decently wash since I left Persia. The wardrobe had a few plain white and green outfits inside for guests, I assumed, so I washed up, taking a long, calming bath before I dressed in the slightly too big clothes. It was only four in the afternoon though and I didn't want to lay around for two hours with nothing to do, so I decided to explore a little before dinner.

I slowly left the room, making my way down the hall Drake had gone. Occasionally I would walk into a room. I found a few small studies and an art studio that was completely covered in murals. I wondered who was the artist in the palace because whoever it was, they were really, really talented. I'd wandered into the gardens for a while, looking at all of the beautiful fountains and plants, but I was afraid it was getting late, so I went to find my room again.

On the way in, I passed one beautiful set of double doors that were carved in a bunch of hieroglyphs that I couldn't actually understand, but it was curious enough to draw me in, so I walked across the hall and slowly pushed one of the doors open, closing it behind me quietly. The room was dark, with heavy curtains pulled over the large windows on the other side of the room. I didn't even notice the bed in the center of the room because about half of the room was sunken into the floor, making the bed blend into the floor rather than stand out.

It was only when I heard the sweetest, saddest moan I'd ever heard, I looked down at the bed, seeing the Pharaoh curled up in the same golden robe he'd been wearing early. He had his knees pulled up a little and his eyes were closed, tears clinging to his face. One hand was curled around a rather shockingly large erection (for someone of his size, I wouldn't have expected him to be as big as he was, he made me feel down right puny). His other hand was fisted into his hair, tugging lightly on it as whimpers and sobs fell from his lips.

He didn't seem to notice me at all, but once ever few moments, I could hear him choking on a name, his husband's name and watching him was the most… beautiful and the most heartbreaking thing I had ever seen. Part of me wanted to turn and leave before he noticed me. I would hate to anger or upset him after he was so nice to me… I hadn't seen his angry side, really, other than when he yelled at the guards and I didn't want his fury to be directed at me. But the other part of me wanted to go to him and comfort him.

I only stood there and watched him for a while, but eventually I made my way down to his bed and crawled up onto it carefully. He never even opened his eyes to look at me. I wondered if he was just so lost in himself that he had absolutely no idea that I was there.

Slowly, I climbed up behind him, wrapping an arm around him gently. I pressed a few fingers to my lips and I licked them until they were dripping with my saliva and then I dropped my hand between his thighs. I couldn't even begin to believe how beautiful he was. His skin was silky smooth and tanned with the Egyptian sun, but he was paler than most Egyptians.

Drake quivered a little, curling up a little. "Adam…" he whispered, his eyes still screwed shut. I bit my lip, not wanting to pull him from his hallucination so I slowly slipped my middle finger into him, just wanting to help him with his heartbreak, even if just a little. He whined quietly but he was so lost in whatever sort of fantasy he drew up for himself, he might have believed Adam was the one fingering him.

I pumped my finger in and out gently a few times before pushing in a second, scissoring him and drawing the most beautiful cry from his lips. If he wasn't so heartbroken and so against having a pleasure servant, I might have really enjoyed fucking him… He didn't really seem like the type to dominate too often… Eventually my fingers brushed against that special sweet spot within the Pharaoh and he curved away from me in a perfect bow, choking on his tears and pleasure.

He was so beautiful…

I rubbed my fingers into the spot until Drake came in his hand, his ass tightening to an almost virginal tightness around my fingers and I moaned, ignoring my own ache in my jeans.

"Oh Ra, Adam…" he mumbled quietly, gripping the sheets next to him. My heart cracked a little. I just felt so bad for him. I'd never seen someone so in love and Adam was rotting away in a cell that Drake couldn't get to…

I pulled my fingers out of him carefully and pulled myself from the bed all together, but before I could leave, Drake was sitting up in his bed, holding a blanket in front of him to cover himself. "Sauli?" he asked quietly, blinking away tears. "Why did you just…?" There was a blush on his face and he seemed rather embarrassed and maybe even felt a little guilty for having someone who wasn't Adam touch him and for allowing me to do something so sexual to him when he said he didn't want a pleasure servant but I knew that he was so lost in his memories of Adam, he had no idea I was the one touching him. "I told you I didn't want a pleasure servant…"

"I know, Drake and I'm sorry… I was exploring a little and I walked in on you and… I'm so sorry, but seeing you like that was just so heartbreaking… I just wanted to help," I said quietly. "And sex is just what I'm used to. I didn't know what else to do… I won't do it again if you don't want me to, I just wanted to give you some sort of satisfaction…"

"That's very… sweet…" he said to me. "But you don't need to do this for me… I'm sorry you had to see me like this, I thought I locked the door…" I nodded gently. "You don't need to take care of me though. I appreciate this but I don't want you to feel like you need to take care of me…"

He didn't need to tell me he felt guilty.


	16. Does Anybody Know What We Are Living For

**Chapter Fifteen: Does Anybody Know What We Are Living For?**

**Adam's POV**

I had all but lost track of the month. I could no longer discern whether it was day or night since there were no windows that led to the outside. Even if there were windows, it wouldn't have mattered much. While the memory of it was obscure and hazy, I could remember being brought down stairs. So many stairs.

But I had not lost track of days, that I made sure of. Like any cliché cell, I had found a small stone in the corner of the room, and had since my arrival etched into the wall beside my cot the number of days I'd spent in this place. I never needed to recount them, either, for the number was engraved into my heart like an inkless tattoo. One-hundred, twenty-three. One-hundred, twenty-three days I'd been here.

I laid upon my cot, still dressed in the same attire that I'd worn when I was brought here. Since then, though, my sandals and my jewels had been stripped away, pawned off and traded amongst the guards. I had, however, managed to hold onto the ear cuff that was gifted to me from Hiei, my mother's necklace, and a ring that Drake had given to me a few years back. The fabric of my trousers was stained in dirt, sweat, and spots of blood. My shirt was torn apart so terribly that its only purpose now was to be torn, further, into strips and used as bandages.

Facing the wall, I stared in silence at the etches I'd created. Tally marks, grouped in fives; there were almost twenty-five of them, just shy by two marks. I sighed softly before reaching out to touch them. One-hundred, twenty-three days being holed up in this place without any knowledge of Egypt or my love. Only what the guards so often sneered into my cell as they walked past. Most of them said that Drake had moved on, believing that I had died or would never return. Other said he was suffering such heartache that he couldn't rule Egypt at all, and that he would let it fall to ruin.

I didn't believe any of it, for they were all lies, and I knew that. All pointless lies, use to hurt me and make me weak. But these were not the worst. Sometimes the silences were just as bad. Sometimes they went as far as to spin off ridiculous tales about him moving on or falling into a great chasm of grief. Some stories were that they'd seen him seated sensually in the throne upon the laps of my advisors. Other stories were of him wallowing in self-pity upon the open floor.

I believed the tales of Drake being with Cassidy and Alex, but not for the reasons that they spoke of. Cassidy and Alex were, no doubt, comforting Drake in my absence. But they would never take advantage of him, and he would never sleep with them in place of me. Drake wasn't that kind of person.

I pushed the thoughts away, curling up tighter into a ball on my cot. Shivers raced down my spine and I rubbed my nose, wiping away congestion. I'd come down with a light sickness; the poor conditions and meager food had been an unhealthy substitute to the life that I had been living before this, and I'd fallen ill so many times that I'd all but lost count. Not being able to bathe on a regular basis certainly wasn't helping my condition any, either.

I glanced down at my hands, staring at the fresh cuts, the scabs and the healed over scars. Sometimes the guards would come in and beat me for no reason, and in order to shield myself, I would cover my face and head with my hands and arms. Similar marks scattered their way up the pale and sweat flesh of my arms and shoulders. And, though I could not see it, I knew my back was a war zone of similar abuse.

I'd never been on the receiving end of a flogger's tip before this, and I knew that I would never find a drop of pleasure in the use of one ever again.

Trembling lightly, I coughed softly to clear my throat and relieve myself of the tickle that was torturing me. My voice was torn apart from shouting, screaming and eating nearly-spoiled foods for the past one-hundred, twenty-three days. I'd given up singing to myself as a comfort, because it served me no good. The first time I tried, the guards tortured me for being annoying and disrupting their peace. The second time, my voice cracked from the pain. Since then, I'd barely spoken a word to anyone.

I don't know how long I was laying there. After a while, you begin to just not care at all. It must have been a while, for the sound of footsteps neared in the silence of the hall. I froze on the cot, curling my arms so tightly around myself, partially in defense and partially out of fear. I couldn't recall of the times that I'd been jumped by guards while lying helpless in my cell… especially when they assumed I was asleep.

I waited, my heart thrashing in my chest, as the footsteps came nearer still, and the sound of keys came from the doorway. I risked a glance over my shoulder before sighing deeply. The door opened with a loud, obnoxious creak, and a man sauntered inside. I felt the tension of my shoulders begin to ease as he neared my cot, carrying a large metal tray in his hands. Unwinding my arms, I rolled over to look at him.

The man was rather tall and decently built, pale skin visible through his dark shirt and trousers. Worn leather sandals were strapped to his feet, his toes covered in dirt from walking around in the dirty underground. His hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, rich chocolaty bangs hanging down in strips on either side of his long face. Deep and beautiful blue eyes were set like almonds into his face above rosy, prominent cheeks.

Every time I looked at him, I felt strangely at ease, and not simply for the fact that he was kind. No, there was something comfortably familiar about this man that I could never quite put my finger on. I didn't mind it in the slightest, though. He was the only friend that I had in this place, and I had no intention of complaining about that.

"How are you feeling today, Adam?" He asked, his voice soft and gentle as he set the tray down on my cot by my feet.

"Better than before, thank you," I replied just as quietly. He nodded slowly, dipping a clean cloth into a small bowl of water, a tiny bottle of what looked like peroxide sitting next to it.

"How are the wounds? Are they any better?"

"Much, thank you, Sebastian." Sebastian nodded again as I rolled onto my stomach, waiting for his gentle fingers to peel away the hem of my shirt—it had been given to me by another prisoner when he saw the condition of my original shirt—to expose my back. I shivered lightly, trying my best to relax.

Sebastian was, primarily, a messenger for the Persians. But when he wasn't busy carting letters back and forth, he was the medic for the prisoners. While Emir had a sick sense of humor in torturing everyone, he also kept them from getting infected or ill to the point of death. He liked prolonging their suffering as much as possible.

Sebastian told me that he was working for the Persians because, prior to being brought here and forced to work, he'd been a doctor for a small village just north of the palace. And he had been tending to a sickly woman and needed a specific antidote, one that he couldn't afford. He tried to steal the medicine and had been caught, imprisoned and awaiting his execution. But Emir kept him for his skills in medicine and ailments, as well as his charisma, and enslaved him as a doctor and messenger. It was the only reason he wasn't killed.

I folded my arms under my head, sighing quietly as Sebastian wiped at the scabs and cuts on my lower back with water. I winced now and then, hissing softly in pain, but those were the only sounds that pervaded through the air. After a long while, he began to clean them with the peroxide, and that stung worse than before. I tried to stay relaxed, but I couldn't do it. Usually Sebastian would talk and that would take my mind off of things, but not today… Because he wasn't talking.

Sebastian was, normally, a conversationalist, but his silence unnerved me. "Sebastian?" I groaned. "Is everything alright?" I questioned gently, turning my head to face him a little. Sebastian's expression was rather reserved, and I feared that he would tell me he was being replaced or executed.

"Do you remember a young man by the name of Sauli? He was a pleasure servant who spent what little free time he had with me?" Sebastian mumbled quietly. I frowned a little before nodding once. I'd only ever met Sauli once, and that was when Sebastian was tending to me in his room. Sauli had come in for pain relievers while Sebastian worked to keep my fever down. It had been one of the first times I'd gotten sick.

"I do. He was the blond one, right? He came into your room that day that I had a fever." Sebastian nodded once to me.

"Yes, that's him," Sebastian said, his voice soft and withdrawn. I frowned again, and Sebastian let out a heavy breath. "He's been gifted away. The guards won't say where he's been taken, but they talk about how he's not going to come back despite how… damaged… he is." I winced softly as Sebastian choked out the words. Sauli, from what I'd heard, had been a pleasure servant his entire life, and had been used by each of the guards more times than I could even try to count. And not just for sex. No, they would use him as a punching bag. A scapegoat for their frustrations.

"Where do you think he's been sent off to?" I asked. Sebastian sighed.

"I'm praying to the Gods that he's been sent to Egypt, actually… I know your husband will be disappointed if not enraged that King Emir would gift him a pleasure slave and not you… But, at least, in Egypt.. he'll be safe. At least, more safe there than anywhere else, especially here." Sebastian treated Sauli like one of his own children. In fact, Sebastian treated almost everyone like his own children. All of his patients were his kids. And it wasn't like some kind of act to him. No, Sebastian had kids. Two full grown daughters who were happily married. In fact, he was a grandfather, because his eldest daughter, as he'd told me, had two twin boys shortly after she married.

I nodded slowly. Sebastian and I made regular prayers to the Gods—Sebastian was Egyptian, too, and four years older than me—for a lot of things, and now this was another one. With the exception of our one and only encounter together, I never really saw or spoke to Sauli. But it didn't take a psychologist to see that he was hurt by being a pleasure servant.

"If he has been gifted to Egypt, Drake will take care of him, I'm sure of it. He won't use Sauli like the right of the guards here. He'll treat Sauli like his own brother," I said gently, and Sebastian nodded slowly, bandaging the open cuts on my back. I winced a little before relaxing with a sigh as Sebastian knelt beside me.

"I have faith in you and your husband. I just hope that Sauli has the same faith, you know?" Sebastian muttered gently and I hummed in agreement.

"That's only if he's been sent to Egypt. If not… we may never see him again." I said darkly, clenching my jaw. Sebastian let out a breath, gently easing my shirt back down.

"I'm due to serve my duty as messenger. Apparently the man they've been using fell ill on this last trip back to Persia, and I'm the only other one available who isn't suffering some sort of injury or illness." I frowned.

"How long will you be gone?" I asked. Sebastian didn't hesitate.

"A week, at most. Even with Persia's advanced technology in transportation, it's a long journey." Sebastian said, and I stared off into space. I'd never made efforts to get close to the original messenger, due to the fact that he was a loyal Persian. But if Sebastian—and Egyptian and my friend—was to be messenger… If he was going to be with Drake, even for a moment…

"Will you take anything with you?" I inquired and Sebastian nodded.

"Yes, why?" I sat up slowly, mindful of my back and the tray by my feet.

"Do you have paper and ink with you, by chance?" I questioned. Sebastian frowned.

"No. But I can bring you some later. Why?"

"I'm going to have you deliver a message to Drake."


	17. And I Just Want to Ask

**Chapter Sixteen: And I Just Want to Ask**  
><strong>Sebastian's POV<strong>

"Adam, Adam come here, quickly," I whispered through the bars of his cell. He appeared to be sleeping but I knew he wasn't. Adam hardly ever slept because of his ailments, wounds or just the fear of being attacked in his sleep. I couldn't say I blamed him much, really. The Persian guards were a huge group of sick bastards who loved to torture their prisoners. Adam became one of their favorites.

Adam had tensed when I first called to him, but when he realized who was talking to him; he pulled himself from his cot and came to the bars. "Sebastian?" he whispered quietly. I pushed a few pieces of paper and an ink pen through the bars and into his hands.

"Write your message to your husband. Hide it in your pillowcase until I come back to get it tomorrow. I'll do one more check up for you before I leave for Egypt and I'll get the message from you then. Make sure that you don't let any of the guards see you, all right?" I told him and he nodded, holding the paper and pen close. "I'll be back in the morning, now go back to bed and pretend to be asleep." He nodded again.

"Thank you Sebastian… So much," he said quietly, looking grateful. I wanted to stand around and talk with him, but I could hear a few guards coming our way. "Good night…" he whispered and hurried back to bed. He stuffed the paper and pen into his pillow before lying down and curling up a little. I just hoped he would actually be able to write his message without the guards catching him. Hopefully they would just leave him alone.

I left Adam regretfully and went back to my chambers. It wasn't really… a great place to be, but it was better than a cell. It was a room with a tiny desk, a few medical books stacked up on one corner, medical supplies scattering the entire desk and the shelves that acted as a headboard above my small mattress. There was one lamp on a small table on the other end of my bed and that was the entire room, but people couldn't just come in and out as they pleased. I couldn't complain too much considering I wasn't, really, being beaten or abused by the guards that littered every single hall of this God forsaken palace.

Lying down on my mattress, I knew sleep would not greet me. It never really did grace me on nights before I had to leave for Egypt. I knew it was the result of a mix of things, longing to be home in Egypt, fear of the guards that would be escorting me and, of course, the possibility that something on the trip would go wrong. Sometimes I wished something would go wrong, just so I wouldn't have to be brought back to Persia, but I couldn't abandon all of the prisoners who needed me here, like Adam…

Just as I suspected, I sat in total darkness (there were no windows in my tiny room) until I knew I needed to get up and go see Adam. Silently, I got dressed in a fresh set of clothes and left my room with a small travel sack slung over my shoulder. I checked for guards to make sure none of them would stop me as I made my way to Adam's cell. "Adam? I whispered quietly and he looked up at me from where he was sitting next to his cot. Without a word, he stood up, pulling a few sheets of paper from the pillowcase. He had taken care to make sure they didn't get too crinkled through the night and he brought them to me, passing them between the bars.

I glanced at them briefly before slipping them into a folder in my bag. The top page was a drawing of an oval stone with beautiful hieroglyphic design embedded into it. The main characters were Adam's name in Arabic. "It's a tattoo that Drake got for my birthday several years ago," Adam told me quietly. "The rest is a note I wrote in the old language so most Persians won't be able to read it. If, for whatever reason, someone finds it, just tell him or her it's a journal you've kept. Hide these papers in the message Emir sends to you. Drake will find it, I'm sure."

"I will, Adam," I told him quietly. What I was doing was dangerous if I got caught, but I knew that going in. It didn't bother me. I wanted to help in whatever way I could. "I will make sure I get them to him, I promise you."

"Thank you," he whispered. "Now you should get to Emir before he gets upset with you…"

"I will. Take care of yourself, Adam, I'll be back soon, I promise," told him quietly and he gave me a gentle smile. Underneath his injuries, sickness and the filth the prison left on him, he was a very gorgeous man and I wasn't even interested in men. "I'll see you soon," I promised before I turned and left the dungeons all together. A few guards met me at the top of the never-ending staircase and escorted me to the throne room.

The moment I walked in and my eyes fell on Emir, I felt disgusted. He had a girl, no more than nineteen, on her knees, almost completely naked, pleasing him with her mouth. He didn't seem to care that everyone could watch this girl blow him; in fact, it seemed to give him some sort of sick pleasure. The girl was an Egyptian, I could tell by some of the tattoos she had. She wore nothing but a black, laced thong. Everything else was completely exposed to everyone and that was just not right. It was instances like these that made me want to tear Emir apart. He was such a fucking bastard.

"Here is the new proposal I want you to deliver to Pharaoh Drake," Emir said to me. He didn't even have the girl pull away from him while he addressed me and I didn't want to get close to him, but I walked to his throne, bowed respectfully and stood, taking the very large, thick proposal from the king. I secretly hoped this girl would bite his dick off. He deserved it.

"Yes, My King," I said respectfully and carefully placed the documents into my bag. I was sure it was full of pointless bullshit. Emir didn't want to reason with Drake. Nothing Drake offered was good enough for the prick. From what I understood, Drake had been very generous, offering him everything short of his title as Pharaoh. I was sure that was the only thing that Emir was interested in. He wanted to control Egypt with the same iron fist he controlled Persia with, but Drake would never give Emir control of Egypt. Drake would find some other way to get Adam back, I was sure.

"Now go, you have a long journey. Don't waste you time standing around," Emir barked. What an asshole. Being around him just made my blood boil.

~

The trip to Egypt had lasted five days and every last second of it was very unpleasant, but luckily I managed to keep Adam's message hidden from my guard escorts. They didn't go through my things, amazingly, they just liked to push me around. It was really rather annoying and painful, but I managed to make it through the journey with minimal injuries and a whole lot of annoyance. I found it best to just ignore the guards instead of openly showing them that you were hurt or upset. If they didn't think you were hurt, they didn't get much pleasure out of beating you.

One of Pharaoh Drake's advisers met us at the top of the massive stone staircase that lead up to the throne room of the Egyptian palace. His name, I believed, was Cassidy. He was the man I met with the last two times I had been here because the Pharaoh was too busy doing other important things to stop and talk to me. I wondered if it was going to be the same deal this time…

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Cassidy said to us, turning to lead us inside. "Pharaoh Drake is waiting for you inside. He has made time in his busy schedule to meet with you, so please do not take it for granted," Cassidy advised. Derek, one of the guards who was escorting me, snorted in response. Out of all the guards Emir had, Derek was my least favorite. He was very violent, he loved using the prisoners and pleasure servants for sex and he was completely disrespectful. Cassidy fixed him with a rather rueful glare and then he led us inside.

Sitting upon Adam's large, golden throne was a beautiful young man with bright red hair, the edges and bangs dipped in a brilliant gold that shined even more than the jewelry he was adorned in. He didn't wear an overly obnoxious amount of jewels and gold, just enough to show that he was royalty and he was meant to be respected. One necklace with a ruby on the end, two gold ankh earrings, an ear cuff on his right cartilage, several thin gold and red bangles on his left wrist and gold sandals. He worse crisp white shorts that ended several inches above his knee and a sheer top that showed off his beautiful inkings through it. There was a gold robe laying over one arm of the throne and I assumed he just got too hot to wear it.

There was something very familiar about this boy and, for some reason, I was picturing him with chocolate colored hair instead of the vibrant red…

"My Pharaoh," I said out of respect but also affection, because he was My Pharaoh. I was an Egyptian, not a Persian. I bowed to him while Derek and the other guard, Joshua, stood on either side of me. They should have bowed as well, but, like I said, Persians were assholes.

Drake stood from the throne and walked down the few steps to stand in front of me. "Rise and be heard, messenger," he said, but he wasn't rude or cruel, just stern in what he wanted.

Slowly, I rose to my feet, standing about a head taller than the boy. I was surprised at just how short he was. With the petite body, slight curves and beautiful features, he could have easily been mistaken for a woman, but there was something about him… Everything about him was familiar to me, but I knew I had never met him before…

"My Pharaoh, King Emir had sent me with his newest proposal," I told him, pulling out the large stack of documents. I hated calling Emir "king" but I couldn't avoid it when with the guards.

Drake reached forward and took the stack into his hands. It was only then that I noticed the ring on his left ring finger. It wasn't Egyptian custom to exchange rings during a marriage, but apparently Adam had give him a ring. "Thank you," Drake said quietly, looking up at me. He was short, yes, but he stood with a sort of pride that made him strong despite his small size. "What is your name?" he asked, his tone softer.

"Sebastian," I answered, looking down at the stack of documents. "There is a special… gift for you on the bottom of this pile," I whispered in the old language so the guards wouldn't be able to understand me. "Your husband—"

"Hey, what are you talking about?" Derek roared, grabbing me by the shoulder and yanking me back rather violently. "Only languages we can all understand you—"

"Silence, release him," Drake barked, looking rather enraged. "I don't know who you think you are, but in my palace, you will treat _everyone_ with respect and you will not harm anyone while in my presences. Do you understand?"

"Yes, your _Grace_" Derek replied sarcastically, glaring at Drake and there was fire burning in his eyes, like he would have liked nothing more than to shoot the bastard.

"What's your name?" Drake asked him and Derek basically spat in his face, asking him why the Hell he would even care. "You might be the most disrespectful man I've even met," Drake hissed at him. "I don't know why you think you're all high and mighty, but you're _nothing_. You've been nothing since the day you were born. That's why you're a prison guard. So maybe you should start showing others a little respect, you little fuck." Derek looked completely shocked and, well, angry but dumbfounded all at once. "Now step back."

For the first time ever, I saw Derek do exactly what he was told. Drake turned back to me when Derek had stepped away. "Thank you," he said quietly and he casually slipped one of his bangles off, handing it to me with no one noticing. "Take this to him, please… If you get to see him again. If not, keep it safe for me."

"Thank you my Pharaoh," I whispered. "But I must go now…" Drake looked a little sad to let me go, but he nodded softly.

"Be safe," he said, his eyes filled with worry and question.


	18. Just Like That, I'm Crawling Back To You

**Chapter Seventeen: Just Like That, I'm Crawling Back To You**

**Drake's POV**

_My dearest love,_

_Every day is unbearable, knowing that I am here in this disgusting place without any way for you to know that I am still alive; knowing that you are safe and warm in our beloved Egypt, feeling the pain that I am feeling at our separation. How I wish I could separate my soul from myself and go to you, to hold you and kiss you for a moment and reassure you that everything is going to be okay._

_But there is no way to separate from this place, from myself. I am ever present in mind and body, even when I try to shut away from those around me. The guards are horrendous, the other prisoners are weak and fearful, and Emir… Emir should not be graced with the title "king". He is nothing of the sort. Sebastian—you would have met him by the time you read this, if it reaches you at all— tells me that he's been present to witness some of Emir's cruelest tactics.. I won't go into the details. I don't want you to worry any further than you, no doubt, already do. I am fine, my love. He leaves me alone. I just wish his guards would do the same. _

_They are vicious and cruel, these men. They're built like machines and act just as robotic, unless they're insulting or torturing a fellow prisoner. So many times I can hear them laughing from down the hall. It's chilling and frightening… and… I won't lie or try to sugarcoat anything in the hopes that you won't worry. I know you will. They do beat me, these beasts. Horribly so. Mostly, though, they just torment me with their words, telling me that you believe me to be dead or that you have just forgotten about me and moved on… _

_But I am not letting them break me. Every night I go to sleep I know that you are in Egypt, fighting for my return. And I am here, being patient and cooperative in the hopes that Emir will realize there is no point in keeping me here, and he that he will let me go—alive. That's all I can hope for right now. My head is telling me that it'll never happen, that he'll keep me here until I die or until he has conquered Egypt. But my heart tells me that you will pull through, that you will come for me and save Egypt from this tyrant. _

_I have faith in you, my love. I know this is hard. It's hard for me to be here without you, wondering how you are and if you're fighting for us. But I have faith in you. You are stronger than you seem and braver than you believe. Please, love, remember that I am always there in spirit. I am there in your heart. I am there when you go to sleep, in your dreams. Always. I will fight for you, I will fight to keep living. Fight for me, Drake._

_I love you. Keep fighting._

_Adam_

Tears were streaming my face and my hands shook so furiously that I was afraid I would tear the letter, and I had to let go of it for a moment. I cupped my hands over my face, sobbing into my palms in my room. Months… I had waited months to know something, _anything_, about Adam. Countless hours and seconds lost between us and now, this… Finally, _this_.

So much time spent on worrying whether or not he was safe and alright. While I did not favor that he was being beaten and tortured, at least I knew what was happening to him. I knew that he was in pain, that he was suffering, and I had even more dirt on _King_ Emir… Not only had he kidnapped the Pharaoh of all Egypt, but he was treating him like an imprisoned fiend, beating him like a worthless dog…

This was such a call for war…

But I knew that I couldn't… Even if I truly wanted to wage war on Persia, it wasn't the smart thing to do. There was no doubt that Emir wanted war. He wanted to fight because he wanted Egypt. For whatever reason, I wasn't sure, but he wanted my country, and I would stop at nothing to keep it from him. And while part of me wanted nothing more than to knock his front door down and hold a gun to his head, I couldn't risk Adam's safety… I would never forgive myself if I did that and Adam paid the price…

Wiping my eyes slowly, I looked down at the letter again. Black ink etched neat and perfect into two sheets of paper. There was no way that this letter could have been faked. Not only was it written in our native language, but Adam's handwriting was unique, and his attention to detail was pristine, even if he wasn't much of an artist. The third page was a damn near perfect drawn replica of the tattoo I'd gotten several years ago on the inside of my thigh.

Gods… I still couldn't fathom that Adam had managed to send me a letter… A letter… _A physical letter_. I felt… I felt euphoric and overwhelmed and I couldn't stop crying. I couldn't believe that he was able to get it passed the guards and into that messenger's bag. Sebastian.. that was his name. And Sebastian spoke our language, which led me to believe that he was Egyptian. But what was an Egyptian doing working for the enemy? Unless he was enslaved…

I bit down on my lip, wiping the tears from my face. In the brief moment that we'd been together, there was something so incredibly familiar about Sebastian, but I couldn't put my finger on it. His hair was shaggy and a deep, rich chocolate color, and his bright blue eyes were wise and compassionate. I didn't know him in the slightest but he felt familiar…

I couldn't ponder on it any longer, for there was a knock at my bedroom door before it opened slowly. I gathered the pages of the letter together, trying not to cry as I stared at Adam's words. There were footsteps that came closer, and I looked up to see Cassidy standing over me. His eyes were concerned, widening as he realized that I was crying.

"Drake?" He murmured, sitting on the bed beside me. "Drake, why are you crying? Eric said he saw you in tears as you left the throne room, and you had a bunch of papers in your hands. Is there a new proposal?" I shook my head, sighing heavily.

"The proposal is the same… Just new words and phrasing. It's all the same bullshit, really," I told him, rubbing my eyes gently.

"Then why are you crying?" He asked. I sighed softly, lifting the letter into my hands before holding it out to him. I watched as Cassidy too it into his grasp, staring down at it for a long moment. His brown eyes widened significantly.

"Oh, Gods…" He whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. I nodded as tears welled in my eyes. He lifted his gaze to meet mine. "Is this real? Did he… Did he really send this to you?" I nodded slowly.

"The messenger, his name was Sebastian and he's Egyptian, told me in our native language that this was from Adam… He tried to say more, but the guard escorts stopped him. He's on our side, Cass. Sebastian is with Adam and he's with us… We have a way in, Cass. An inside man who can keep us informed of everything!"

"Truly? I thought things like this only happened in fiction.." I smiled, shaking wiping the fresh tears away with the sleeve of Adam's robe. I lowered my gaze to the drawing of the tattoo, gently tracing my fingertips along the pattern of it on the sheet.

"It's true, Cass. All that matters though is that Adam is alive and… and he's okay. Sebastian is taking care of him. We can stay in touch with Adam and maybe, just maybe, we can get him out of there soon!" I exclaimed happily, reaching out to cling to my advisor and friend. Cassidy held me close, but his face was withdrawn.

"We don't know that for sure, yet, Drake. Yes, we have a way to reach Adam, now. But what if something happens to Sebastian, or the messenger duties change? We cannot rely on Sebastian being there every time…" I shook my head.

"It doesn't matter. All that matters is this…" I murmured, clutching the tattoo drawing and letter in my fist. Cassidy sighed softly, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

"Please understand that this may only happen once. We may only get this one letter…" I trembled in his arms, shaking my head. I couldn't think about only getting one letter from Adam. I needed more. I needed to know that he was okay, and that he was continuing to fight for me. He wanted me to fight for him, and I would. But I needed him to fight, and I needed to _know_ that he was fighting…

"No… It'll keep happening. It has to keep happening. I.. I can't—" Cassidy's arms tightened around me as I shook.

"Drake—"

"_No!_ There _has_ to be more after this! I.. I sent a gift back with Sebastian! Adam will get it, he'll know that I got his letter! He'll keep writing to me! He has to! He told me to fight, and he needs to fight back for me! He needs to…" Cassidy pressed my face to his shoulder as my body wracked itself with violent tremors. He had to. I couldn't… I wouldn't be able to handle getting this one letter from him and never get another one. That was too much of a tease. Too much of the Gods saying 'Here's a treat for your suffering, and now you won't get another'…

"Baby… I—I'm not saying it'll never happen again, just understand that… that it might not…" Cassidy was being the realist, as always. But this letter… This letter instilled so much hope and faith…

"I need him, Cassidy… I need him so much, and this… This brings me so close to him. If Sebastian continues to bring me the proposals, he can bring me Adam's letters… He can bring my love home…" Cassidy sighed heavily, running his fingers through my hair. I hated that I felt so desperate for pieces of paper with ink scrawled hurriedly into them, but… If this was going to bridge the separation, even only a little, I would do everything in my power to keep them coming…

Cassidy held me for a long while before pulling away with a fleeting kiss on my forehead. He gathered up the papers of the proposal, leaving the letter and the drawing on my bed. I knew that he and Alex had to look them over. Under normal circumstances, I would have gone with them, but when I looked back to the letter again, I knew that I wouldn't be able to. More than the desire, I needed to stay here. I needed to read this letter again… and again…

Cassidy left me in silence as I stared at the letter. I must have read it over another five or ten times, tearing up more and more each time. I could hear Adam's soft voice purring in my ear, whispering how much he loved me and how he wanted me to fight. I could feel his arms tightening around me in a lover's embrace. I sighed heavily, pressing the letter to my chest, holding it there for a long while.

I would have stayed there with the letter pressed to my chest if it weren't for a small, soft sound. I frowned, sighing. There always had to be something to interrupt my personal moments… Setting the letter down onto the bed, I turned towards the source of the sound, seeing something that startled me.

Standing by the archway to the balcony was a long, slender and sleek black cat. Gray fur colored his paws and his left ear, as well as his chest between his front legs and below his neck. His eyes were a blue-gray color with deep, black slanted irises. I tilted my head to the side, staring long and hard at this cat. How did he manage to get up here? Mine and Adam's room was on the second floor, one of few rooms on the second floor of the palace.

The cat meowed softly, and I clicked my tongue, rubbing my fingers together in its direction. It padded quickly across the stone floor before leaping up onto the bed, crossing the mass of sheets and pillows before nuzzling my hand. His fur was smooth and glossy in the afternoon light, and he purred like a soft machine.

"You're adorable," I said gently, scratching behind his ears. "But where did you come from?" The cat purred, pressing his face into my hand before crawling into my lap. He rested his front paws on my thigh, staring up at me, his tail swishing back and forth.

"Never mind that… What should I call you?" I mused, caressing his chin. He purred, puffing his chest out and lifting his chin, his eyes never leaving mine. I felt a shiver race down my spine as I glanced at the pages of the letter scattered on my bed, staring at Adam's handwriting. The letter and the cat…? A cat with sleek, black fur, graced with a bit of gray… with blue-gray eyes…

"Pharaoh," I whispered, and the cat meowed affectionately, nuzzling my chest.


	19. You Are A Million Miles Away

**Chapter Eighteen: And When It Seems Like You Are A Million Miles Away  
>Adam's POV<strong>

Sebastian left for Egypt almost two weeks ago. He said he would be back by now but he wasn't and I was beginning to worry if he was hurt or if one of the guards found my letter to my husband. I just wouldn't be able to live with myself if Sebastian was hurt because of me.

The dungeons were quiet other than the passing guards, so I had to assume that it was nighttime. I was curled up on my side, facing the back wall of my cell, my back to the bars. There was nothing I wanted more to sleep, but I hadn't been able to sleep since Sebastian left and I doubted I would sleep much until he came back and told me how things went.

Despite not being able to sleep, I pretended to sleep. The guards like to beat me. Sometimes they'd like to sexually assault me, but thankfully I hadn't been raped. I could only pray to the Gods that something that far wouldn't happen, but I wasn't guaranteed much in this place. However, if I was asleep or appeared to be asleep, the guards usually left me alone. There was only one who seemed to have a really sick sort of attraction to me.

Derek.

I didn't know what his problem was, but he might have been the biggest ass hole I had ever met. It surprised me really that Emir's guards could be even worse than Emir himself, but Derek definitely was…

Just as those thoughts interrupted my constant worry about Sebastian and Drake, there was a loud pounding on the bars of my cell and I tensed. Apparently tonight was not one of the nights where pretending to be asleep would get the guards to leave me alone. I heard the door slide open and then slam shut, footsteps slowly approaching me. If I was lucky, not reacting would get whoever it was to just leave me alone.

Fingers knotted themselves into my hair and pulled harshly, tugging me up into a sitting position. "Wakey, wakey," the guard hissed in my ear and I instantly knew it to be Derek. He kept my hair in his hand as he turned me to face him, none too gently either. He took my jaw into his other hand and forced me to look him in the eye. "You going to be a good slut for me tonight?" he asked, a sickening smirk on his face.

I didn't respond. In fact, it took everything I had not to spit at him or something. I dropped my eyes so I didn't have to look him in the face and he let go of me, take a half step back before back handing me across the left cheek, pushing me from the cot to the stone floor. Gasping in pain, I put a hand to my face, whining in pain. Derek was, unfortunately, not only the meanest guard but also one of the strongest.

There was a bit of a silence and I curled up on the floor a little, cradling my cheek. I prayed Derek would just leave me alone but of course he didn't. He walked over to me and kicked me in the ribs, not hard enough to break anything, but decent enough to hurt and probably leave a really nasty bruise. "I will ask you again, whore," Derek hissed, using his foot to force me to roll over. "Are you going to be a good slut for me tonight?"

"Yes…" I groaned deeply. I didn't want to be his little slut, but I knew that if I denied him, things would be even worse for me.

Derek smirked and unlaced the front of his trousers, pulling his limp cock from inside and stroking himself gently. "On your knees, bitch," he hissed, stroking himself slowly. I instantly knew where this was going and as much as I wanted to tell him to fuck off, I slowly pushed myself onto my knees, shaking slight. My side and the left half of my face ached, a lot, but I wouldn't worry about myself much until Derek was gone.

He stopped touching himself and, instead, tangled his fingers into my hair, pulling tight. "Stroke me until I'm hard and then blow me," he snapped and I grimaced, slowly reaching up to stroke him with shaking fingers. It really didn't take any time at all for him to grow thick and full in my grasp. He was such a sick bastard; I really hoped that one day he would realize how disgusting he really was.

I stroked him for as long as I could get away with it, hoping he would finish before I had to suck him but of course I wasn't that lucky. "Stop, he growled, tugging my hair again. I cried out in pain, dropping my hands as he fisted himself, rubbing the head of his erection over my lips. "Suck me, real nice and slow."

Squeezing my eyes shut, I took the head into my mouth and I instantly wanted to bite down or pull back just because he tasted so awful. I sucked on the head, keep my eyes closed the entire time but he pulled back and slapped the right side of my face. "Look at me." I hissed in pain, opening my eyes to look up at him. His fingers twisted into my hair again, pulling me face back to his erection. "Don't look away, or I will fuck you like the filthy bitch you are and I promise that I will _break you_," he hissed and I whimpered quietly as he forced his cock back into my mouth, keeping my head angled so I would have to look at him as he fucked my mouth.

No matter how much I wanted to look away, I didn't. Watching the sickening pleasure roll through his eyes and his penis constantly bump the back of my throat made me want to throw up, but I couldn't risk Derek pushing me down onto the ground and raping me like I was put on this earth just for him to fuck…

Derek was grunting and moaning in pleasure, thrusting hard into my mouth as I sucked him. I knew he was nearing his end because his breathing got quicker and his thrusts were harder, more demanding. He tugged my hair, pulling me off of him and he reached down with his free hand, fishing himself and pumping hard, coming hot and hard all over my lips, chin, jaw and neck. I let out a groan of disgust but the smirk that flashed over his features told me that in his sick, twisted mind, he thought I was groaning in pleasure.

He used the head of his cock to smear his seed over my sick and I felt filthy, like I really was a whore. I tried to pull back, just to get out of his reach and that sent him into a rampage. "Do. Not. Pull. Away. From. Me!" he hissed as he slapped me hard enough to send me to the ground. I managed to catch myself with my arm but I cashed as my cheek throbbed.

"Stop it!" I finally shouted at him, tears flooding into my eyes. I was the Pharaoh of Egypt and I was being used as some filthy guard's sex toy. I was tired of it and I really just wanted him to leave me the fuck alone.

"What did you just say to me?" he asked as I tried to push myself up enough to maybe fight him off, but he used a booted foot to kick me into the ground and hold me there. "_What did you say to me?"_" he repeated, hissing loudly. I knew I fucked up, but I was just so tired of this. Couldn't he just stop? It was bad enough that I was kidnapped, kept in a disgusting, filthy cell and told repeatedly that my "whore of a husband" was already sleeping with my advisers. Did I really have to endure needless beatings and sexual assaults?

"I said stop it!" I shouted at him, curling away from him.

"You filthy little whore, I swear I'm—" he started to say and was no doubt reaching for me to do something horrible to me, like rape, when another guard called for Derek. Derek grunted and without another word, he pulled away from me, left my cell, slammed the door shut and left me alone, curled up on the floor of my cell. My face hurt and my side hurt, but I slowly pulled myself up onto my cot, trying to relax, but it wasn't working. I wanted to get his seed off of my face, but I had nothing to wipe it on and tears were streaking my face.

I curled up on my cot, crying in pain and misery. My tears mixed with the semen on my face and it was rather disgusting, but I just kept crying, no matter how much I wanted to stop, I just couldn't.

It really wasn't clear how long I was curled up like that when someone came into my cell. I was almost positive it was Derek, to finish what he started, but when I heard the gasp, I knew it was Sebastian. "Adam?" he exclaimed, rushing to my side. "Adam, what happened? Why are you crying?" he asked, setting something down at my feet.

"Derek…" I whispered. Sebastian helped me sit up straight and he gasped, pulling a wet cloth from the tray he set on the cot to wipe the semen off of my face. "He forced me to blow him…" I swallowed once my face actually felt clean again. "And then he was going to do something worse…. Like rape me, or something, but someone called for him and he left…" New tears were replacing the old ones and Sebastian frowned deeply, putting his hands on either side of my face. I whimpered in pain. My cheeks were kind of swollen from Derek slapping me, but Sebastian didn't move away.

"I'm sorry… I need to make sure your cheekbones aren't broken…" he said. I didn't even need to tell him that Derek had repeatedly hit me, so I must have looked pretty awful. He tenderly rubbed over my swollen cheeks, trying to feel for any sort of break. "Mostly it just feels like swollen muscle…" he said and his thumb stilled on my right cheek. "Bit this… this feels like a fracture…"

I whimpered softly. "How can that be fixed?"

"It can't… it'll have to heal on its own…" he said quietly, frowning.

"So basically… I have to let Derek do whatever he wants to me so I won't get slapped again?" he asked.

Sebastian sighed. "Unfortunately…" he said quietly, looking like he felt really bad. "I'm sorry Adam, but I did bring this for you…" He lifted a plate of food from the tray and pulled a small envelope out from under it, handing it to me.

"What is this?" I asked.

"A gift from your husband," he answered.


	20. Ooh, I've Been Watching You For So Long

**Chapter Nineteen: Ooh, I've Been Watching You For So Long**

**Eric's POV**

While Drake and I did not always see eye to eye, especially in the past, I could not deny that watching my older brother suffer at the loss of his King and his husband was a painful experience. Daily, it seemed, Drake looked more and more miserable and there was nothing that could be done about it. Nothing at all. Alex and Cassidy did the best they could, even Tommy and Hiei and our mama, but nothing worked. Nothing relieved his pain.

Which is why it was such a relief when that messenger came from Persia with a letter from Adam. I could remember that Drake kept himself holed up in his chambers for days, reading and rereading that letter. Only his advisers were allowed into the room. I'd asked why that was so after not seeing my brother for three days, and Alex told me it was an order that Drake had given. He didn't want to see anyone.

Not being around him for nearly a week straight was really putting a toll on me. Drake and I had had our spats before but we worked through them. Not being able to see him? That was hard in ways I couldn't even begin to express. While Drake and I went through a rough patch after he'd gone and shortly after our family had been brought here, that was done and over with. We were close now.

We were the brothers we used to be for one another.

Sighing heavily, I snapped the book in my hands shut, slipping it back into its place on the shelf. I still couldn't get over the sheer size of the library, and I'd been living here for almost six and a half years. I couldn't hope to comprehend how one man could afford so many books. But then again, it still never really made much sense how our society could be so technologically advanced and yet we still built pyramids with ancient methods and…had messengers when we could think of faster and more efficient methods of communication.

But I wasn't one to complain. I loved the life I had and the way I lived it. My brothers, Hayden and Jonah, and I had found great interest in taking the motorbikes—that's what we called them, but they ran entirely on solar energy and were relatively silent when in use—and going out on little races. Hayden was still too young to drive them, but Jonah and I would race and Hayden would sit on the curve of the seat behind us, switching back and forth as he pleased.

Thinking of the bikes led me to a memory from a year or two ago. All Hayden wanted for his birthday was his own bike and the approval to ride it. I could remember Pharaoh Adam smiling like a kid at the idea, and he scooped Hayden into his arms like he'd been his big brother all his life. He told Hayden he'd get one specially made for his small size, and he'd give it to him when his mother deemed him old enough…

Tears stung my eyes as I thought about Adam. The Pharaoh loved me and treated me like his own sibling and I'd grown rather fond of him. Not having Drake in my life was hard, but Adam reminded me daily that Drake hadn't really gone anywhere. Drake made our lives better. And Adam didn't make it sound like I needed to be grateful to Drake, no. He said it to remind me that my father—since Drake was really only my half-brother—was wrong about Drake.

It was hard to believe that Adam had been missing for, what was it, four or almost five months now? It couldn't have been true, but I knew that Drake was keeping count in his head. And, sometimes, at dinner he'd mutter. He'd mutter so softly under his breath that it was barely there at all. But he'd say a number. A number of days. Or sometimes he'd say the month that Adam had been taken in. And that would remind us of the month we were in now and we'd know exactly how long it had been…

Pushing myself away from the shelf I was standing in front of, I wandered down the aisles of books. The library was silent as I paced the waves of fiction and non-fiction. Sunlight poured through the massive windows, washing down all around me in golden rays. I turned several corners here and there, scanning briefly over titles but never really retaining the names.

My sandals scuffed against the stone, and the soft cotton fabric of my trousers felt cool against my skin. I was wearing all white, though my shirt had some ruby-red trimming along the hems of the sleeves and neck-line. My hair was cut rather short, hanging in shaggy waves around my eyes and jaw. I kept it short and messy as opposed to Drake's neat A-line cut. I could remember when it hung thick and disheveled around his face, before he was taken from home. That felt like an eternity ago.

Turning another corner, I found myself at the center of the library, and I knew this because I was in a large opening with the peacock statue perched gracefully in the center. A deep green rug had been laid down beneath it and there were cushioned couches and chairs scattered pleasingly around it. A small smile tugged at my lips as I looked upon the statue. I'd heard the story behind it, and how Drake destroyed in it a fit of grieving rage before rebuilding it for Adam.

I couldn't dare to imagine the pain my brother must have gone through to face that wretched ex-adviser alone. To have to suffer such abuse and yet keep it all a secret for the sanctity of the safety of one's family… When I'd first heard that story, I couldn't believe it in the slightest. But then Drake confirmed it and even showed me the scars that Bradley had left in his skin, and I felt nothing but admiration at the strength of my older brother. I had been wrong to say that Anna's death was his fault, because he tried. He tried to save us all. Bradley had been fucked up enough to not give a damn about his efforts.

Running my fingers through my hair, I stared up at the statue for a long while, dragging my gaze along the fine details. Adam had told me that it was elaborating carved before Drake destroyed it, and now it seemed even more beautiful than before. I wasn't sure if he was just being nice, but I had to agree. There was no evidence that the statue had been previously destroyed, and it looked so realistic that I was waiting for it to unfurl its wings and spring off from the ring it was sitting in.

I must have been staring at that peacock for a while, for I didn't hear the footsteps draw near and I practically jumped out of my own skin at the sound of his soft voice, "Hello?"

Whipping around I found myself standing alone with Sauli, the slave who had been gifted to Drake from King Emir of Persia. I'd never really gone out of my way to talk to Sauli before, but I had seen him wandering around the palace a few times. He'd become a regular presence at dinners, even when Drake had not been. And even though we hadn't gotten to know each other, Sauli was perhaps the one person I did want to know.

I couldn't explain why but there was something about the tanned blond that intrigued me in a rather strange way. His eyes were warm and gentle, though often reserved, despite his past as a slave and he spoke with such sweet eloquence that you wouldn't even think to put the slave label on him. He was such an interesting person and I felt bad that I hadn't talked to him much before…

"You're… Eric, right?" Sauli inquired and I nodded once, unable to find my voice. It shouldn't have surprised me that Sauli knew my name. Drake had introduced all of us to him on his first night in the palace. "I'm sorry if I was intruding on anything…" he trailed off and I shook my head.

"N-no, it's fine. I wasn't doing anything important, really, just…looking at the—the statue," I told him, motioning to the peacock. Sauli glanced at it and smiled a little.

"It's a very beautiful piece of work," he agreed and I smiled back at him as he walked a little closer. His hands were clasped behind his back, his shirt stretched a little tighter across his shoulders. I watched the lines of fabric pull taught before looking away again.

"My brother, Drake, re-sculpted it after..after an accident, like, almost ten years ago…" Sauli looked amazed.

"The Pharaoh did this?" He asked and I nodded once.

"He's an artist. Always has been." Sauli smiled.

"He's very talented… and he's lived here with Pharaoh Adam for ten years?" I nodded again, another smile pulling at my own mouth.

"Yeah. He.. he was taken because our family couldn't pay our taxes, and we assumed that the pharaoh would just put him to work. But then we started getting money from the palace, with notes from Drake saying he was put in a service that kept him close to the pharaoh, and he was paid well. A few years after that, we were brought here and Pharaoh Adam told us that he and Drake had fallen in love and were getting married."

Sauli's eyes shined softly with admiration, and I felt my cheeks heat up a little. Underneath the tan complexion and sand-dusted cheeks, there was a faint blush as Sauli looked away from me and back up to the peacock statue.

"That's a very beautiful story… I didn't think that the Pharaoh's had such a romantic history," he commented and I chuckled.

"I didn't think so, originally, either. I didn't think very highly of Pharaoh Adam at all, actually. But then I got to know him and I realized he wasn't a bad person. He quickly grew to be like family for me…" I sighed, running my fingers through my short, shaggy hair. "I miss him every day, too.."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Sauli said with a frown and I shook my head.

"I'll be alright… It's Drake I'm worried about, though. Apparently he got some kind of a letter when the messenger came and hasn't come out from his room at all. There hasn't been a word from him, and his advisers have only said that he wishes to be left alone for now. I wish I knew what was wrong…"

"I'm sure everything is fine…" Sauli muttered, and I gave him a strange look. "Well… From what I've heard, Pharaoh Drake is strong. He might not believe it in himself but he is—even I've seen it. And even if the news is sad or frustrating, it just means that he needs a little time to himself to get his thoughts together. And if it's happy news, he is likely to be overwhelmed with emotion and just needs to let the happiness out?"

I paused for a moment, taking a while to stare at Sauli in awe. I was Drake's brother and I hadn't even thought of that in the slightest. Here I'd been trying to understand the reason behind my brother locking himself up in his room for days on end, and then this ex-slave, who'd only known him for a week or so at most, understood him better than I could hope to.

"Wow… Maybe you're right," I told him with a wide smile, and Sauli blushed again, faint and adorable. "That's a really good idea, actually."

"Thanks…" he said bashfully and I smiled.

"You're welcome."


	21. What Will You Be Using Your Time For?

**Chapter Twenty: What Will You Be Using Your Time For?  
>Hiei's POV<strong>

I hadn't seen Drake since he received some sort of message from Adam through the messenger who had been sent from Persia to deliver the latest proposal from King Emir. To be honest, I was just severely worried about Drake. He might have been locked up in his room, mourning because the message said that his husband, a dear friend of many, and Egypt's beloved Pharaoh, was dead…

However, maybe I was just too worried that there was something horribly wrong. Perhaps Drake was just so overwhelmed with good news that he couldn't bear to be around anyone else, that he needed to be alone just to absorb all of the contents of whatever he received. Maybe he was planning a rescue or, perhaps, he was preparing for a war. I really didn't know what was going on or what to think because Cassidy wasn't telling me anything and he wouldn't let me see Drake.

My worry was becoming more than I could bear and every time I tried to talk to Cassidy about it, he avoided talking about it by saying "Hiei, please don't worry about it. You'll find out when Drake is ready for you and everyone else to find out". Well I was very, very tired of hearing that. Drake was one of my best friends and I was sick and tired of being worried about him with absolutely no explanations and no answers.

Well I was done with it. Cassidy and Alex were having a meeting with a few neighboring ally messengers and they would be held up for a few hours at least, so I figured now was the best time to go over to Drake's room and try to see him. If he turned me away, I would be persistent in talking to him before I left, but if he told me to leave, I would be respectful and leave. He was the Pharaoh, after all, but I was pretty persuasive, especially when it came to Drake. We connected in a way that no one else did.

A few people tried to stop me while I was on my way to Drake's chambers, but I pretty much smiled at them and kept walking. Sure, I was blowing them off, but at least I was doing it nicely. I wouldn't have normally acted like that, but I needed to get to Drake. I needed to make sure he was all right and I needed to know what was happening, especially if Cassidy had been keeping a horrible condition from me. What if Drake was on the verge of suicide and I wasn't there for him? How would I ever live with myself?

I needed to see him, that's all there was too it.

Nothing stopped me on my way across the palace. I ignored other employees and servants. Thankfully no one I was close to, like Tommy, Cassidy or Alex crossed my path and finally I was standing at the intricately carved double doors of the Pharaoh's quarters. Part of me didn't even want to knock, because I didn't want to be rejected. I just walked to walk in and demand that Drake talk to me, but I wasn't going to be rude. I didn't want him to be upset with me right off the back, since I really wasn't supposed to be here at all. Drake had requested no one see him… but I needed to. I needed to know if he was all right.

Raising my hand to the door, I knocked loud enough to be heard throughout the room but gentle enough that it wouldn't be obnoxious. I waited a few minutes before I heard the softest, sweetest voice I'd heard in a long while. "Come in," Drake called, his voice gentle and kind, the way it was before Adam was taken to Persia. Lately he'd either sounded depressed or angry, but not hoe he spook just now. Maybe it was good news after all…

Slowly I pushed the door open and saw Drake sitting cross-legged in the center of his bed, papers and notepad scattered around him. Drake's normally well-kept hair was sticking up in odd angles, making the recently added gold blend in more with the red than it normally did. He looked like he'd just bathed a few hours ago and when I got closer to him I could smell the vanilla. He was dressed in plain shorts and a plain shirt, but he was wrapped in a large red robe, which I was sure was Adam's.

"Drake?" I asked, going to the edge of them bed. He looked up at me with big, bright shining blue eyes. Since Adam had disappeared, Drake's eyes had lost some of their color, some of their allure. They became grayer than blue but looking at him now, his eyes looked bluer than they had in months.

"Hey Hiei," he said, giving me a soft smile. He didn't look nearly as happy as he should have been, happily married and in love with a wonderful man, but he looked happier than he had ever looked since Adam was taken. "What are you doing here?"

"I… I know you requested not to see anyone, but I was just starting to worry about you, Drake. You've been locked up in here for days and days and Cassidy won't tell me or anyone anything that is going on… We're all really starting to worry about you," I said honestly. "I was starting to worry that there was something seriously wrong, like you got bad news and you were so sick that you couldn't do anything… Or you were so depressed that you couldn't get out of bed or you were planning a war because something horrible happened to Adam… Please, Drake, all I want to know is that you're okay and that you didn't get any horrible news or anything. I've been worried sick and Cassidy won't tell me anything at all…"

"Hiei, try to relax and take a few deep breaths, okay?" Drake asked. "I'm fine, there's nothing wrong." He looked back down at the papers scattered around him and picked a very small stack of papers right off the top of the mess. "In fact, things are getting better." Before I could even ask, he handed me a drawing of a beautiful oval stone with Adam's name written in hieroglyphics.

"What is this?" I asked, studying the drawing. I heard Drake shifting on the bed and when I looked up, he was facing me completely, his legs spread apart, giving me a very nice, clear visual of his crotch and mental images of all the dirty things I could do to the boy in that position. He rolled up one of the legs on his shorts and I wasn't sure what to think about what he was doing, if he was being provocative or what. I didn't think he would even think about having sex with anyone while his husband was possibly being tortured or dying…

And then I saw it, the tattoo that was inked into the flesh of his inner thigh. "Adam's the only one who knows this tattoo in detail enough to draw it in perfect detail," he told me and after examining his inner thigh, I realized that the drawing I was holding in my hands was almost a perfect replica of the ink nestled into Drake's thigh.

"He sent this to you? This was the message Cassidy was talking about?" I asked and Drake nodded, handing me another paper, which was covered in beautiful script.

"Along with this note, written in Adam's hand," he said. "Adam's not doing great, but he's alive and he's being as strong as he can just so I can get to him…"

"So what's all of this then?" I asked, motioning to the papers and notes that were taking up most of Drake's massive bed. I knew that they weren't all notes from Adam, obviously, and Drake really could care less about the proposal King Emir sent him because every single time, he denied that Adam was in Persia or some other bullshit to keep Adam in his possession.

"I've been locked up in here trying to figure out anything and everything I can do to get Adam back short of starting a war with Persia. I have no doubt in my mind that Emir wants a war and that is his motive for everything he has been doing… " Drake explained to me, looking up at me again. "I'm not willing to start a war unless it is absolutely necessary. I have to try everything else possible before going to that extreme. However, I have no doubt that if this absolutely results in war, Egypt will have the power to win, but I don't want to worry about killing hundreds, possibility thousands of Egyptians because of Emir's sick games."

"Well…" I started, moving papers and notes out of the way so I could sit on the bed with him. "What exactly do you think we could do to get Adam back, end all of this, but stay away from war?"

"I'm not too sure," he said, putting his head down on my shoulder. He may have been clean and happier than usual, but he looked exhausted. I doubted he slept at all since he got Adam's letter. "I've already offered Emir millions and millions of dollars and relics and land. He turns everything down, like nothing I offer him is good enough and I know he keeps denying me Adam just because he wants to start a war. He's trying to push me into it declaring war so that way he gets what he wants, but it goes down in the books as Egypt's fault. Other countries won't see that Emir kidnapped Adam, all they will see is the new Pharaoh of Egypt already declaring war."

"So? Any ideas?" I asked him, stroking his hair gently, flattening it a little and trying to make it look nice.

"Well, short of war, all I can really think of is going to Persia and getting Adam back," he said to me and my eyes widened as far as they could go.

"Drake, no, you can't do something like that, it's crazy…" I said quietly, my hold on him tightening protectively just a little.

"I know it's crazy and I haven't made any final decisions, so please don't go telling people this, okay? I don't need Cassidy and Alex going off on me for being a dumb ass," he said quietly.

"Okay, I won't tell anyone for now, but please, don't just run off…"

"I won't…"


	22. But Sometimes It Hurts Instead

**Chapter Twenty-One: But Sometimes It Hurts Instead…**

**Adam's POV**

_My dearest Adam,_

_I haven't much time but I wanted to make sure that Sebastian received this letter from me to be delivered to you before he left for the trip back to Persia. I'm working as hard as I can to get you out of there, but it's difficult to do anything short of starting a war, and that is the one thing I'm desperately trying to avoid._

_Since you're last letter, I have continued to fight. Without you I've been lost and alone with this dread lingering in my heart that I would never see or hear from you again. But I'm fighting. I'm fighting for you and I won't give up until you're back home, safe in my arms. Everyone here is praying for your return…_

_I love you, Adam. And I'm sorry this note is so short. I promise, if Sebastian brings me another response from you, I will have another for you, longer and more meaningful, but I hope this suffices for now. Be strong, darling. May the Gods watch over you._

_With eternal love,_

_Drake_

I must have read the letter at least a dozen times over. This was my second gift from Drake and it meant the most to me. After my first letter to him, the only response I'd gotten was an elaborately detailed gold bangle from my husband—Sebastian told me it was the only thing he could give me in such a short amount of time. I'd sent back another short note of thanks, and this was the response to that.

I sighed softly, pressing the paper to my lips. The ink was neatly scrawled into Drake's delicate handwriting, and I could only imagine him sitting at a table with a pen in hand, his artistry flowing even as he wrote. I wiped away the tears before folding the paper back up, tucking it safely into the small envelope that it had come in. It was plain with the exception of the tattoo of my name drawn on the front side.

Slipping it under the pillow of my cot, I laid down and rested my head over it. My heart was full with love, almost to the point that I was sure it would burst and I couldn't suppress the smile that stretched itself across my lips. I wrapped my arms tight around myself, curling up into a tiny ball as I let the words tumble around my head and curve around my heart and soul.

Before I knew it I began to doze, and in my state of near unconsciousness, I dreamed that Drake was there, pressed tight to my chest with his head over my heart. He just listened to it, listened to the steady beat and tapped his fingers to it against my skin. I smiled at him, leaving a warm kiss in his hair.

In my dream, Drake and I were lying together in our bed, but the space around us was limitless. It was dark and warm, comfortable like Egyptian heat in that early evening limbo, where it's starting to cool but it hasn't begun that near-freezing drop just yet. That quiet comfort where nothing can pull you from that sweet trance of pure bliss. Drake and I were there, perfectly content to be in one another's arms.

"_When are you coming home?_" He asked me, his fingers still tapping to the beat of my heart. I sighed softly, tightening my arms around him, pulling him closer than he had been before. I wish I'd had a definite answer for him, but I couldn't give him one. I didn't have one, because I didn't know when I'd be home… if I'd ever make it home…

"_Soon, I hope.. very soon, love._" I told him, my lips brushing against his forehead gently as I spoke. Drake whined softly, his fingertips tapping gently.

"_Why not now? Tonight?_" I smiled and sighed softly.

"_It's a little more complicated than just getting up and leaving, love. If I could, I'd do it. But I can't…_"

"_You can fly away and hide in the stars, and I'll come and find you… Just fly away, Adam… Fly away and be free and I'll find you there…_"

"_You're proposing I fly away to heaven, and I refuse to leave without you if I go there…_" Drake smiled softly, pressing a kiss to my chest.

"_I'll find you in heaven, and I'll bring you back to Egypt. Or maybe I'll stay there with you, where we can live together forever…_"

"_Forever in heaven?_" I inquired, and Drake smiled, nodding once.

"_Forever, where nothing can touch us. Age will not mar us, our strength and will is limitless, and we can have anything we want… We can want nothing at all, or we can want everything, and it'll be ours…_"

"_I'd like that…_" I murmured, leaving a soft kiss against his cheek. Drake smiled at me, his bright blue eyes shining despite the darkness of the space around us. "_If I could go to you, I would… But I can't._" Drake sighed heavily.

"_It's not fair… It's just not fair._"

"_I know, my love… but I'll be home before you know.. I promise._" Drake nodded once before leaning up to kiss me sweetly. At first I moaned, kissing him back as tenderly as I could manage in my dream, but something felt off, strange. The more Drake and I kissed in my dream, the more he felt… wrong, to me. Like.. it wasn't Drake. It wasn't my lover, but someone else. He felt and tasted wrong and yet I kept kissing him because I couldn't bring myself to pull away.

I reached up, cupping his cheek. But his face felt wrong. Drake's facial structure—I'd memorized the feel of it in the years of our marriage, and even long before that—was soft and boyish even in his age, but now he felt… old. Muscular and blockish, and not like the soft delicate boy he always was. Plus, there was stubble. Scruffy, awful, scratchy stubble…

Frowning, I pulled away, opening my eyes. But it was not Drake I looked up. There was no limitless darkness or comfortable bed, there was no quiet calm or warmth. There was only cold and dirt and Derek's hard eyes gleaming down at me as a shit-eating smirk pulled at his lips. It took me a moment to realize I was not longer sleeping, no longer dreaming, and another moment to realize that in my dream I had kissed Drake, but in reality, in body, I'd kissed Derek…

Derek laughed when I launched off of my cot and crawled to the corner of the cell to vomit. I didn't really vomit, either. Dry heaves wracked my stomach and bile came flowing from my throat, burning with a ferocity that left my eyes watering. Shivers send tremors racing down my spine and along my nerves and Derek wouldn't stop laughing…

"Awww… is poor, little, cocksucking Pharaoh a needy bitch?" Derek sneered and I merely curled up in the corner, wrapping my arms around my knees. I felt utterly sick to my stomach that my dreams controlled me so much to the point that I was acting out in physical body… with Derek…

"Huh? Is the sad little bitch missing his fuck toy?" I scowled, looking away from Derek, trying my best to ignore him. I could normally ignore his horrendous comments and the beatings he gave me, but Derek's presence made my skin crawl. Ever since the last time he invaded my cell, I felt edgy and dirty all the time, even when Sebastian came in to help give me sponge baths.

"Go away…" I grumbled softly, shaking gently as I tightened my arms around myself. Derek growled at me, lashing out and grabbing a hold of my hair. I hissed, wanting to claw at him but knowing better than to fight back I kept my arms around myself.

"Wanna run that by me again, you little whore?"He snarled at me, his breath rank with alcohol. I wanted to gag and vomit in his face, but I held the urge back. I didn't want any trouble, I just wanted to be left alone…

"I said, do you wanna run that by me again. You. Whore." Derek growled, louder than before, pulling on my hair. I whined loudly, unwrapping my arms, but I didn't push him away. I didn't fight.

"Do I need to teach you another fucking lesson, you dirty skank?" Derek shouted, his saliva hitting my face in a faint mist as he spoke. I grimaced, squeezing my eyes shut to block out his image. I couldn't help but listen to him and feel his hand in my hair, but I wouldn't look at him.. I couldn't.

Derek's large hand curled around my jaw, his fingertips pressing hard into my cheek and I whined. It was mostly healed, but there was still an underlying level of pain where he'd slapped me before, and his fingers digging into the same spot certainly wasn't helping me in the slightest. I shut my eyes tighter, whining louder until he shove me out into the open floor of my cell.

My elbows collided with the stone and I cried out softly, facing the floor, half-turned onto my side. Pain was shooting up and down my arms, throbbing lightly in my face. Slowly, I opened my eyes to see Derek's shadow looming over me, and I froze in fear, trying to relax in the event of a blow.

Nothing came at first, with the exception of his boot pressing down into the center of my back, forcing me flat on my stomach and chest. I coughed as he forced the breath from my lungs, and my dirty and chipped nails clawed at the stone. I felt his weight shift and he knelt down before shoving my legs apart.

My heart stopped dead in my chest. No, he couldn't… He couldn't do this… He couldn't do this to me. At least not now. I hadn't done anything wrong, anything to warrant this! Oh, Gods, no.. please, no, don't let him do this to me. I shut my eyes, hiding my face against the cold stone as Derek gripped the loose and raggedy fabric of my shorts—they were full trousers once, but they'd been torn so many times, they clung around my now-thin thighs—and pulled down as hard as he could. Air kissed my backside and I whimpered, digging my nails into the stone.

"For being an old cocksucker, you've got a really nice ass…" Derek groaned softly, his voice getting husky and deep. "And cocksuckers with nice asses really love getting filled…" He continued, and I heard the shuffle of something be pulled from within fabric. My heart was pounding like a wild and distraught drum beat as tears gathered in my eyes. He couldn't… he couldn't…he—

I cried out as something forced its way inside of me, but I knew instantly that it wasn't Derek. It wasn't…_him_ that was shoved into me. It was something cold, metallic almost and far too big for me. I clenched my jaw and swallowed a scream as he shoved the object deeper, painfully ramming it into that spot within me. No amount of pleasure that I might have found before could overcome the pain as black dots danced across my vision.

I felt it withdraw before being shoved back in, and I cried out a little louder, a little hoarser. A moment later Derek's fingers curled through my hair and pulled as hard as he could, forcing me to arch into the floor as he raped me with whatever it was he had in his possession. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I screamed prayers in my mind; prayers for strength and desperate pleas that I would survive this torture…

Each stab and thrust with the object left me curling deeper into myself. Screams tore from my lips as Derek ravaged my shoulders and my neck with his teeth, leaving his marks in my skin. Deep inside myself, I dug my way through a massive black hole, creating a cavern in which I crawled before beginning to bury myself inside. I didn't get very far, I'd only managed to bury myself half way when Derek withdrew the object completely, wiping it clean on the back of my shirt.

"Dirty skank. I was being nice. Next time I won't be." He snarled, giving me one rough kick to the ribs before leaving me. Shakily, automatically, I reached down and tugged my shorts back up. I didn't have to inspect to know that he'd ripped me open, that I was bleeding. I could feel it. I could feel myself bleeding down my thighs, like my soul was trickling out with it.


	23. Everyone Wants to Change the World

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Everyone Wants to Change the World but No One Wants to Try  
>Drake's POV<strong>

It had been quite some time since Hiei came to see me and I was still, more or less, locked up in my room, but being alone was finally starting to take its toll on me. Yes, I could focus on what I was going to do to save Adam, and I could format my ideas and plans far more easily than I could with other people around, but for the last four or five days I really wasn't coming up with anything new. I was just repeating ideas that had already occurred to me and I was writing them down with different words to make them sound different. Twins that weren't identical on the surface, but, get them together, they are so obviously twins; it's really not debatable.

Sighing, I gathered up all of the stray papers from my bed, putting them in an order that probably only made sense to me and put them into a neat stack on my vanity, followed by my notebook which had become more like my obsession than anything else. I felt like Moriarty keeping a record of his detailed plans in a tiny book that only truly made sense to me and anyone smart enough to crack the codes that my brain cleverly spun up. I set the drawing of my tattoo Adam had sent to me on top of the stack.

Today I was going to leave my room, have lunch and dinner with my friends and family and attend my evening meeting with Cassidy, Alex and a few more advisers from allied countries. I knew that it was, more or less, pointless, but who knows, maybe something along the lines of a plan to get my husband back from Persia, but I kind of doubted it. However, I was in a relatively good mood because if we didn't figure out some way to help Adam from here, I had a backup plan. I was going to get Adam back home and into my arms again, even if it was the last thing I ever did in this life.

Stretching, I padded my way across the vast expansions of my room, shedding Adam's robe on the way to the bathroom. I'd been so wrapped up in my planning and my endless thoughts racing through my mind, it hadn't even occurred to me that I needed to bathe before I could leave my room. I couldn't really smell much, but I was sure I didn't smell too pleasant, so I ran a hot bath, filling it with vanilla soaps and salts before finally sinking into the comforting warm embrace of the water.

As I cleansed myself I could feel healed scars from the day I was trapped in that bloody wall in the pyramids. I tried not to linger on the memories those tiny scars brought back, because I didn't want to ruin my halfway decent mood, but I just kept watching those blasted Persian soldiers knock Adam out and drag him away while I stood helpless behind that wall, watching in horror.

Part of me wished that I had died in that tomb. Part of me dwelled on the possibility of me starving to death in that dark, freezing room. If I hadn't dug my way through that wall, I would have died of starvation. If not by starvation, probably grave robbers. I'd heard the gruesome stories about what grave robbers would do to people they crossed paths with. I only imagined that I probably would have been raped repeatedly until one of them slit my throat. It was gruesome to think about, but when I was really lonely… When I was so depressed, I believed I would never get to see Adam again, I wished something like that happened to me. At least I would have suffered like Adam was suffering now and… And then we could go to the afterlife and be together…

But I didn't want Adam to give up on life, so I couldn't give up either. I had to keep fighting.

As I rinsed the soap from my hair, I realized just how deep in thought I was and when I opened my eyes, the memories faded, but bright colorful dots spotted my vision. Sighing, I pulled myself from the hot water, no matter how much I liked the comfort of the warmth encasing my body; I promised myself I was going to leave my room today. I'd missed breakfast, but lunch was still a couple of hours away. I planned on going to see my mother; because I knew I was worrying her sick by staying locked away like some princess locked away in tower.

I dressed in a pair of red shorts with a white and red sheer tunic covering my ink-covered top half, finishing with gold sandals and one of Adam's gold, short robes. It hung around my knees and I rolled the sleeves up to my elbows, but the robe smelled like Adam and that in and of itself gave me comfort. My makeup was very, very basic, just enough to cover the worry lines and bags under my eyes. I never got too elaborate with my makeup anymore, unless new messages and proposals from Persia came. In instances like that, I needed to look as regal as possible, but otherwise it just didn't matter. I had no one to look gorgeous for.

Once I left my room, I found myself walking towards my studio. It hadn't been touched in ages, since before Adam had been taken and I didn't really realize where I was heading until I pushed the studio door open and stepped into the circular room. Finished and half finished canvases littered the shelves and sat against the walls. A few sculptures were sitting on the cabinets. I liked sculpting, but not quite as much as painting. Painting and drawing were my passions.

"Drake?" a soft voice said from behind me. I nearly jumped out of my skin as I spun around, finding my mother looking at some of my sculptures. Or, at least, she had been before I came in.

"Mama?" I asked quietly, taking a few steps forward. Sometimes it was pathetic how much I needed the comfort of my mother. I was a grown man for fuck's sake, but having her hug me and pull me to her smaller frame always made me feel better, even if I was in tears, sobbing like a child. "What are you doing in here?" I asked and she smiled at me.

"I come here a lot to think. Your art is truly inspiring," she said quietly, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Seeing the beautiful things you've created gives me hope when I feel… like nothing can go right. I've been really worried about you these last few weeks. Even more so that I have been since Adam's disappearance…" She pressed a gentle kiss to my temple, pulling me to sit with her on a bench by the window, overlooking the garden and Anna's memorial.

"I'm sorry I've been locked up in my room, Mama, I've just been so consumed in trying to figure out how to rescue Adam… I just, I can't take this for much longer. I need to save him, I need him back…" I said quietly and she nodded, pulling me close to her. I put my head down on her shoulder and she slowly stroked my hair, brushing it away from my face.

"I know darling, I know… You're going to get him back. I know you will. You're too strong and will driven to not get him back and, to be completely honest, you are too stubborn and hard headed to let Emir beat you. Things are tough right now and you are in pain because your other half is gone, I know that. We all know that, but you aren't going to let that pain get the better of you because you've never let your pain and your misery win. When you were a child and my husband-" she was saying. She finally stopped using the term "your father" since that man wasn't my father. "—Treated you so horribly, you never gave up. You kept pushing to win his approval and after he passed away you did everything you could to support us."

"And I failed in that, mom," I said quietly.

"No… You didn't. It took a while, but now we're living like royalty because we are royalty, because of you and everything you've accomplished," she said quietly, kissing my temple again.

"Mama, all I did was sleep with the Pharaoh… I haven't accomplished all that much," I explained bluntly.

Mama sighed softly, kissing me again. I think it was just an impulse for her because even though I was the Pharaoh of Egypt now, I was still her baby. "That's not true, Drake. You didn't just sleep with him; you made him fall in love with you. You've become such a successful artist and an icon to all of Egypt. You're so much more than the Pharaoh's bed mate…"

Even though I didn't entirely believe her, I smiled anyway. If I wasn't missing Adam so much, I probably would have been a little keener on believing her. "Thank you," I said softly, taking one of her hands into my own. I was scared, but she comforted me to the extent that no one else could and she was so good at it, it was almost a little frightening.

"You're welcome, my beautiful boy…" she said quietly. I didn't feel beautiful. I couldn't see the person I was when Adam was with me all the time when I looked in the mirror. I saw someone broken and alone, someone hard and pretending to be something he wasn't, but no one else saw that and I just couldn't understand it… Why did no one else see what I clearly was?

"Can I ask you something, Mama?" I asked quietly, almost like a whisper.

"Of course, baby, anything at all," she said softly. I knew she would be open to talk to me, but the subject I had in mind was probably going to be a little touchy for her. I needed to know though, I had to know, I had to ask…

"What was my father like?" I asked, not curious at all about her husband. I knew him personally and I hated him personally as well. I wanted to know about my biological father, the man I never got to meet and probably never would get to meet. It was only normal for a fatherless child to seek this sort of information and with the absence of my husband, I needed something to fill the giant hole that was longing and missing in my heart.

"Oh… Well, Drake, honestly, he was just like you," he said quietly. "You look more like your father than you look like me. He was the love of my life… And I wanted to be with him so much, but his father promised his hand in marriage to another girl and I was promised to the man you thought was your dad."

"Why didn't you ever tell me before, Mama?" I asked softly, frowning a little. "It would have made me feel better about him hating me so much…"

"I know, I know… I will never forgive him for hurting you so much, but I was with your father for one night. For a while, I just wanted to pretend that you weren't his, even though I knew you were… I wanted my husband to love you like he loved the rest of his children, but he knew all along that you weren't his… He knew that I wasn't a virgin the first night we spent being intimate and I had you too soon in our marriage for you to be his…"

"Yes, but… my father, my real father? What was he like? What did he do?" I asked. Even if I didn't get to meet him, I wanted to know everything I could know about him. That would, well; at least it would make me kind of closer to him, like I could feel like I really knew him.

"He was a doctor," she said quietly. "A loving, gentle man who would have loved you so much more than anyone else in the world. He helped anyone who needed medical attention, even if they couldn't afford to pay him. He was such a good man… I see him in you every single day."

"So… he was like me? Or, I guess, I'm like him?" I asked and she smiled.

"So much… He was creative too, but his artist abilities pale in comparison to yours. You are kind of like… Well, you turned out to be just like him, just a different career choice, really. I never wanted to sway you're decisions. I wanted you to be your own person and you are, but you really are a spitting image of your father… I wish you grew up with him, but you already know him. He is in your heart, just like I am and just like Anna is and Adam too," she whispered, laying a hand over the center of my chest.

Reaching up, I carefully put a hand over hers, trying not to shake with the sudden tears that were swarming my eyes. "Thank you, Mama…" I said quietly. I would want more details eventually, but right now I didn't really think I could handle more. She pulled me close, kissing me gently and holding me like she was protecting me from the world, which, really, she was.

"You're welcome, darling…" she whispered. "You know I will always be here for you and even if you're almost thirty, you are still my baby boy."

I gave her a bashful smile, a light blush spreading across my cheeks. "I know, mama, I know…"


	24. All That I'm After

**Chapter Twenty-Three: All That I'm After Is A Life Full Of Laughter**

**Roza's POV**

In the six plus years that I'd come to know Adam, I found it harder and harder to deal with the knowledge every day that he was gone; that he wasn't here at the palace in Egypt, wandering the halls like he so often did; that he wasn't spending time with my youngest sons like they were his own little brothers and that he wasn't with Drake, his beloved husband and my first born.

Thinking about their relationship just made it worse though, because I wasn't sure what I was more upset over—the fact that Adam was missing from the place he belonged, or the fact that my oldest son and my King was so distraught over his disappearance that he shut himself away for days at a time.

But I understood Drake's disposition perfectly. I'd been in that state of mind and being before. Before I'd gotten married, I had been deeply in love with the man who fathered my first child. I wanted to be with him more than anyone else, and would have been willing to leave my arranged marriage to live with and love him forever had it not been for the fact that I was, at the time, rather terrified of my soon-to-be husband. He came off as a very imposing and demanding man, but when I grew to know him, I discovered he wasn't like that at all. But, even then, his affections couldn't compare to what my true love had given me.

Even through the brief eleven years of my marriage, my husband never replaced the desire I still had for Drake's father. But I never showed it, for I was meant to be a proper wife and mother, and had no wish to compromise the near-happiness our household had. I grew to love my husband in a way, but it wasn't the same. I could never fully be happy with him, in any regard, for how he treated Drake. It always pained me to see my son, my darling boy, try so hard to please the man he thought was his father, only to be crushed over and over.

I could remember all the times I tried to reason with my husband, begging and pleading for him to accept Drake's efforts at the very least. To accept that, while he was not his biological son, he was still part of the family and deserved the same respect that he gave his other children. But my husband never agreed to it. He thought of Drake as an abomination and wanted nothing to do with him. I'm still certain, even to this day, that the only reason he didn't completely remove Drake from his sights was because he knew I loved Drake dearly. He knew I would die for my son, and he didn't want to lose me.

Since living in the palace and seeing my son and his lover's passion grow, I had begun to think less of my deceased husband and more of Drake's father. Drake looked so much like his father now in ways that I had never imagined before. When Drake was a young, supple boy of eighteen, he still harbored the features that I had given him. The boyish face, the bright blue eyes and soft smile. But now, as a man, as a _leader_, he reminded me so much of his father that I, on rare occasion, would almost call out his father's name instead of his own. But his hair and his pride would stop me, as well as my own better judgment.

But looking upon Drake now, it was hard to see anything other than his grief. He loved Adam more than anything else, more than his own life, I was certain, and it was killing him to rule in Adam's place. It was killing him to know that his lover was imprisoned somewhere, no doubt being tortured and mocked… I didn't want to think about the horrible things that the Persians must have been doing to Adam, but I'd overheard Cassidy and Alexander speaking of King Emir's tactics when regarding prisoners, and none of it was ever pretty.

I sighed softly, setting my needlework down on my lap for a moment, resting my head against the back of my rocking chair. I was in my room, located on the first floor of the palace, where most of the rooms were, with a window to face the south side, a clear view of the bazaar just in the short distance. The sun cast a lovely warm glow into my room, the rich purples and blues practically glowing in the heat.

My bed, a lovely full sized with short posts on each of the four legs, sat tucked in the north-east corner of the room, fluffed pillows and thick blankets tucked neatly on top of it. A small side table was perched beside it with a glass lamp, painted delicately with hieroglyphics. A massive wardrobe with more hieroglyphs carved into it sat on the east wall, my chair across the room from it on the west wall with another side table beside it. A large area rug of blue and gold nearly covered the stone floor.

There were murals painted onto the north and west walls, each elegantly detailed and signed in the left corner by my son. He felt it was necessary to paint my room for me, and when he had finished I understood why. The mural on the north wall was an elaborate replica of Anna's mural, which was located in the gardens just beside the window-entrance to Drake's art studio. But instead of a stone figure of my youngest daughter, it was actually Anna, clutching a small kitten in her hands with a soft and rosy smile on her face. There were hieroglyphics painted all around her, detailing her life and how she was the perfect daughter and sister, so humble and sweet, gentle and loving.

The west wall was a family portrait, in a sense. Adam and Drake were in the center, with myself on Drake's side and Eric on Adam's. Hayden and Jonah stood in front of Eric and Adam while Amalia stood beside me. Cassidy stood slightly behind Amalia with Hiei beside my eldest daughter, in front of Cassidy. Beside Eric stood Alexander with Tommy just slightly in front of him. Adam's father and mother, as well as who I could only guess to be his little brother, were painted behind Adam and Drake, up in the clouds as if they were looking over the entire family.

I was never sure which painting touched me more, the family portrait or the massive mural of my long deceased daughter Anna. Sometimes it would be one and sometimes the other, but I loved them both equally. When Drake had first showed them to me, I nearly burst into tears out of gratitude and happiness. Even now, staring upon them in the warm light of the afternoon, I could feel the sting of tears. I missed Anna like nothing else, but Adam was just as much of my child as Anna had been, and to see him forever captured into my room but not mine and my son's life was almost more than I could possibly bear.

I set my needlework aside on the table, standing slowly from my chair. My joints felt stiff and I knew it was time for another leisurely stroll through the palace. I might have only been in my forties, but my body understood that I was getting on in years, and having had five children in my youth didn't help that equation any. I started to turn away from the window and go to the door when I stopped. Frowning some, I crossed closer to the massive window, resting my hands on the sill to peer closer.

In addition to the bazaar, I could see the front steps of the palace, leading up towards the throne room, and there were four people ascending the stairs. Three of them were dressed in black and light armor, bearing guns on their hips as they walked in a triangular formation behind the fourth man. When my gaze shifted to linger on the individual in front, I nearly collapsed in shock.

The man was rather tall and well built, looking to be in his late thirties or early forties. I knew for a fact that he was in his forties, though. I knew him… His hair was long, lusciously chocolaty in the sun, but I could see streaks of grey hair in the roots. He wore a dark green shirt with black cuffed sleeves ending at his elbows and long black pants, a bag slung over his shoulder. Lightly tanned skin stretched itself over his frame and I raised a hand to cover my mouth.

It couldn't have been. It couldn't… Judging by the formation and the bag, I could only assume that it was the Persians with another proposal for my son, but… but why would he be working for them? How could he? Why wasn't he here, home in Egypt with his wife, living the life he was arranged to have? Why was he with _Persians_?

Turning away from the window, I hurried from my room as fast as I could, my sandals shuffling against the stone as I raced down the hall. I was, by no means, in the prime of my life, but I was still active for my age. Children had put weight on my bones, but that didn't stop me from rushing down towards the throne room. My heart pounded in my chest as my thoughts raced and yet they were only screaming one thing; _why_?

I raced past servants and scholars, apologizing to them as I blew past. I normally wasn't one to be in such a hurry to go places within the palace, but this was of dire importance. Even if I couldn't talk to him, or even get _near_ him, I had to see him. I had to know if it was really him or if the sun was playing tricks, if my own desperate heart was fooling me into some sort of security.

My breathing was light as I neared the throne room doors. They were wide open, and I could hear soft talking. I slowed my pace, pushing my hair away as I walked forward, poking my head into the massive room. In the center, near the throne, Drake stood facing the messenger as the man pulled a stack of papers from the bag on his shoulder. The Persian soldiers stood not ten feet away, watching intently. Cassidy and Alexander stood protectively behind Drake, watching and waiting for anything that might go wrong.

I bit down on my lip, my gaze studying the messenger. It was him. There was no denying it, it was _him_, but why? I watched as Drake nonchalantly pulled something from the robe he was wearing when the soldiers glanced away, and he slipped it along under the pile of papers and into the messengers hand with a small file that I could only assume was related to the proposal. The messenger bowed his head, filing the papers away in his bag. His eyes lingered on Drake's face, as if he wanted to stay.

Gods, it was him… it was so clear in front of me that I wanted so badly to hurry out to him, to beg him to stay. Beg to know and to understand why he was with Persians and not here in his native country. But I couldn't. I was frozen until the messenger bowed again and turned away from my son, walking away slowly with the soldiers. I pushed forward, stepping into the throne room, watching them leave out into the wild heat of the afternoon.

I neared my son, still looking out to where the soldiers and the messenger had left. "Drake?" I inquired, finally tearing my gaze away from the open arches to look at my son. "Who was that?"

Drake sighed softly as he flipped through the file of papers. He looked disappointed and, if I was not mistaken, rather bored. "No one, Mama. Just a few rude Persian soldiers and a messenger with another proposal.." He commented. He continued to sift through before he seemed to find what he was looking for, and pulled a small envelope from the middle of the stack, tucking it into his robe.

"The messenger seemed familiar…" I commented, hoping to be vaguely curious and nothing more, but my heart was pounding.

"Oh… he's an Egyptian, enslaved and forced to work for Emir… he's been delivering messages from Adam to me from Persia, and a strong ally for us as long as he doesn't get caught.." I nodded.

"His name?"

"Sebastian."

_Sebastian… _Oh, Gods…


	25. If I Wanted To Go, I Would Have Gone

**Chapter Twenty-Four: If I Wanted to Go, I Would Have Gone By Now  
>Eric's POV<strong>

Not seeing my brother for weeks was truly starting to worry me. He finally came out to have lunch with us today and a small black cat wearing a gold collar followed him. When he sat in his spot at the head of the table, the cat jumped up into his lap and curled up, like he was protecting Drake from something. I wasn't sure where the cat came from. I'd never seen it before, but it certainly seemed to be attached to Drake.

I wanted to talk to my brother before he got a chance to lock himself in his room again, but as soon as lunch was over, Cassidy and Alex took him before I even had a chance to stand up. Drake walked out of the dining hall with the cat in his arms and his advisers on his hips and I sighed as everyone stood to leave the dining hall. I sat there for a long time in silence, believe that I was alone, but when I finally lifted by eyes from the empty plate in front of me, I saw Sauli sitting across the table and a few seats over.

"Why are you still here?" I asked softly, simply curious, not offensive or anything. He smiled sheepishly and, if I wasn't mistake, there was a soft sort of blush on his face.

"I suppose I could ask you the same question, now couldn't I?" he asked me and I rolled my eyes, smiling a little. I couldn't really explain it, but when Sauli and I were alone together it was just… comfortable and fun, even though we didn't know each other all that well yet.

"Well, I asked you first, didn't I?" I asked him, smiling in his direction and he definitely was blushing now. He stood up; walking slowly around the table to he could sit in the chair next to me. Normally I sat next to my sister and my mother, and Sauli sat on the other side of the table, away from me, so we couldn't talk during meals, but now he was right next to me.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay… Everyone got up to leave and you were just sitting here, staring at your plate even though there wasn't any food on it," he said, frowning a little. "Are you all right? Is there something going on?"

"No, not really," I said, shrugging some. "I've just been worried about my brother… And I was hoping that I would get to talk to him before he left, you know, to make sure he was all right and to find out what was going on with him and with Adam. But Cass and Alex got to him first and hauled him off and away… So I kind of just sat here, because I don't have anywhere to go and nothing to do…"

"I'm sure Drake is all right. He seemed rather happy today, despite the situation he's in. And he's got an adorable new kitty," Sauli said and he was just so sweet and innocent sounding even though he was my age and he'd been a sex slave before he was brought here. He definitely wasn't innocent but he played the role well... Almost too well.

"I know, I know, it's just, as his brother… I worry about him and I just want to hear it from him that everything is okay, or even better than okay, getting better," I said, frowning a little. Since I had gained such a huge respect for my older brother, I felt horrible for how I treated him when my family and I first came to live here, right before Drake and Adam married. I had been so mean to him, I called him a failure and I told him that my father was right when he said that Drake was worthless. I was a horrible brother and now, whenever I got really worried about Drake, I felt even guiltier in a way.

"How about you and I find something to do? Get your mind off of your brother for now? You can talk to him at dinner; I think he'll be coming out more and more now. He's gotten as far as he can on his own. Now he needs his friends and his family," Sauli said and stood up, standing next to my chair, as if waiting for me to join him.

I smiled a little, standing to join him. "And don't forget his cat," I added and we laughed, walking out of the dining hall together, walking side by side. "So what did you have in mind for what to do?" I asked because I was, more or less, following his lead. I didn't really have any ideas; I just wanted to know that my brother was okay.

But he was the Pharaoh and had Pharaoh related business to attend to so I needed to wait until it was good for him, not for me.

"I was kind of thinking of a walk through the gardens?" he suggested. "Or, perhaps, a visit to the market? I haven't been there yet but I see it all the time and I would… really like to go," he said, a soft blush still painting his cheeks.

"We can go to the bazaar," I told him. "They have a lot of interesting things there… We could take a look around. It's a great way to pass time and it'll give you a chance to get out of the palace and explore a little."

He smiled like a little kid and took my hand without really thinking about it, practically pulling me towards the front of the palace. "The palace in and of itself is truly an adventure, but I'd really love to explore more of Egypt. I've spent my whole life in Persia and this is the first time I've ever been out of the country and free to do whatever I want to do!" he said and I knew he was excited, so I wasn't going to burst his bubble, even if shopping was not the first thing I had in mind for what to do with the rest of the day.

I followed him down the front steps of the palace, towards the giant marketplace that was laid out just before the grand quarters of the Pharaoh and every Pharaoh before him. I didn't let my mind linger on that because then I would start worrying about my brother all over again and I would think about Adam, who I missed dearly and was extremely worried about. While those thoughts always lingered in the back of my mind, I wanted to have a nice day out of the palace and just… relax. Get away from my problems and everyone else's problems and just relax.

The bazaar was literally a five minute walk from the palace and when we stepped in, I had a hard time keeping up with Sauli because he was just so excited by anything and everything that caught his eye. Everything from shining jewelry and glittering gems to beautiful hand sewn tapestries caught his attention. It wasn't really that he desired to buy these things, at least I didn't think so, I think he was just admiring beautiful craftsmanship that he hadn't really been exposed to.

He had told me about Emir's palace in Persia. He said it was nothing like the palace we lived in. Ours was decorated with beautiful art and priceless artifacts. Emir's was cold and dull… Like the entire palace was really more of a prison, but Emir was more of a dictator than I leader, so I supposed it fit his personality. Sauli was fascinated by anything beautiful and it was really kind of adorable. He had such a huge appreciation for beauty and it reminded me of my big brother.

"This place is so amazing. I've never seen anything like this," he said and I frowned a little as we walked. Once in a while, I would purchase something from one of the small stands. Mostly they were things I thought would be nice for the palace in general, but I found a few little things that I thought my brother would love, like a new earring and such. It wasn't that I loved shopping, I just had the money and thought that maybe a little bit of cheer would go a long way with Adam being away. Normally I wasn't one to go shopping at all, let alone actually buy something.

"You really never got out much, did you, Sauli?" I asked, frowning further. It made me feel bad for him, really, because he hadn't had a life up until recently. He spent his whole life with his legs spread for perverts because he was forced to. Even if he didn't consider that his past was full of rape and abuse, I knew it was true. I think he was just trying to keep a positive mindset because if he allowed himself to believe he had been raped and abused by dozens of Persians, he probably wouldn't have been able to handle it.

"No, I didn't," he said, frowning a little. "I was only allowed to leave the palace when someone who… required my services was going on an extended trip. I got to go on a few, but none of them were outside of Persia and even when I did leave the palace, I wasn't allowed to roam. I usually had to stay in the hotel room or something… I've never gotten to just go out and explore on my own or with a friend or anything and this is just… I know it probably doesn't mean much to you at all, but it means the world to me," he said softly, a smiling stretching across his beautiful, full lips. "I hope I'm not being too much of a sap, but thank you for coming with me… It's really made this a wonderful experience…"

"Oh, Sauli, you don't have to thank me… I was happy to do it, really," I said softly and he smiled brightly at me, a youthful innocence hovering over him. Really, it had been with him ever since lunch and I found myself… wanting it more than I should have…

"I know I don't because you're a really nice guy, but it really does mean so much to me…" he said, blushing a little. We were standing in a large tent that sold beautiful handmade jewelry, clothes, robes, makeup and toiletries and Sauli wandered over to a case of earrings and ear cuffs. He was truly just amazed by everything and it was so adorable…

Wait, what? Adorable? No, he wasn't adorable, at least not to me. I mean… I wasn't even fucking gay! Now I was thinking another man was adorable? Another man that, even though we hung out, I really didn't know all that much about? No, this was not okay…

"See something you like?" I asked to get my mind off of the current thoughts invading it. Sauli was gazing hard at the case, looking at everything that was glittering under the glass.

"It's all so beautiful, really," he said but I could see that he kept looking at one particular cartilage cuff that was gold. There were hieroglyphics carved into the cuff itself and an Eye of Horus dangled from it, with a green gem as the pupil. "I've never seen such beautifully crafted jewelry," he said after a while and made his way around the tent, looking at all of the merchandise. I knew this was one of Drake's favorite venders and I could certainly see why.

Once Sauli was on the other side of the tent, I called the vender over and asked him for the Eye of Horus cuff and he pulled it out for me. I paid for it and he didn't even make me pay full price because I was related to Drake, whom he knew on a first name basis and I went over to Sauli, handing him the cuff. "You were looking at this quite a lot," he said quietly and Sauli blushed, looking down at it before reaching up to place it in his ear.

"I didn't think you noticed that…" he said quietly and he turned to me, smiling and the earring looked beautiful in his ear. "Thank you… it's so beautiful…" he said quietly and he looked up into my eyes, leaning up a little so the distance between our faces slowly got smaller and I found myself leaning in towards him without even thinking.

Our lips were only inches away when I heard my sister's voice. "Eric? What are you doing here? You never come to the market!" she said and I instantly pulled away from Sauli, turning to my younger sister.

"Oh, Sauli and I were just… trying to pass the time," I said, hoping to the Gods that I wasn't blushing. When my sister interrupted us, I realized what almost just happened and it scared me. No… It didn't just scare me, it freaked me out because I shouldn't have had these feelings but I did and I didn't have anyone to talk to about them…

Fuck.


	26. I Can Be Obnoxious At Times

**Chapter Twenty-Five: I Can Be Obnoxious At Times...  
><strong>

**Tommy's POV**

"Cassidy, what are we going to do?" I asked, running my fingers through my hair. Normally it wasn't my place as a servant to converse political business with the Pharaoh's advisers, but our disposition was incredibly challenging, and Cassidy needed someone to vent to about proposals.

Cassidy sighed, tossing the various pieces of paper down onto the table. We were in a quiet corner in the library, the midday heat bearing through the floor to ceiling windows, illuminating our table. We'd been in here for the better part of the last four hours and hadn't really accomplished anything. Alex was sick with a stomach ache and I had offered to help Cassidy try to make sense of the proposals. So far there wasn't much that Emir wanted that we hadn't already given him… apart from the throne to Egypt…

"I don't know. Emir and Drake are repeating their demands, making a few changes here and there, but nothing major. Emir wants Drake's throne and Drake wants Adam returned safe, sound and alive. Neither are complying with what the other truly wants. Not that I can blame Drake for denying Emir," Cassidy mumbled, rubbing his eyes a little.

"However I can blame Emir all I desire. His men kidnapped Adam and are probably beating and torturing him as we speak, yet he refuses to return Adam to us. This is a perfect call for war…" Cassidy groaned on and I sighed, palming a hand over his on the table.

"You know we can't. Drake wants to avoid war at all costs and if we go in there with an army… We'll, no doubt, lose all of our allies…" I told him. Cassidy nodded once, slow and understanding. Drake had been battling the decision to declare war ever since Adam had first been taken. Gods, how long had it been now…? Seven, eight months? More? I couldn't be sure. I tried not to pay attention to the passing of time because then I would be painfully reminded that my best friend was missing…

I turned my attention down to the papers before us. They were all scrawled out in neat, black handwriting, though I doubted it was actually Emir's. Drake would only sometimes write parts of it, but the final copies of each proposal was written by either Cassidy or Alex before being delivered to Persia. Each page detailed requests and demands that were all the same just elaborately reworded.

"I know. Believe me, I want to avoid war as much as Drake does, but this… We cannot excuse this. Not any longer. Adam has been missing for months. _Months_. The Pharaoh of Egypt was taken and we should have called for action back when it first happened! Not sit around like old, useless men…" I told him, shoving a few of the papers aside, more towards the center of the table.

"Yes… but… Oh, Gods, I don't know, Tommy. I just don't know anymore. All these demands from Persia have everyone on edge.. we don't know if Adam is alive or not and we'll probably never know until he's dumped on the front stairs of our palace.."

I groaned, standing slowly from my seat. Cassidy stood as well, gathering up all of the papers before tucking them away into the folder that he had brought with him. The sun was beating down on the both of us and I had to push my hair out of my face in order to wipe the sweat away. I was dressed in a white shirt and a pair of shorts and I felt like I was overheating.

Tucking the folder under his arm, Cassidy fell in step beside me as we made our way towards the entrance of the library. As much as I didn't like to think about Adam, possibly, being brought back to us dead, I couldn't help it. The idea would invade my thoughts and haunt me so horribly that sometimes I just couldn't take it.

"Something troubling you, Tommy?" Cassidy asked as we exited the library. I sighed softly, shrugging a shoulder as we walked down the long hallway. There were a multitude of things troubling me, but they were all beyond my reach. Alex's illness was one that just had to run its course, Drake was shutting himself away with the request to be left alone as he poured his waking hours over proposals and plans, and Cassidy seemed utterly torn over everything. He knew Adam the longest. From what I'd learned, he practically grew up with Adam. He wanted to be a good adviser, but it was hard when he was struggling over the safety of his longtime friend.

"Many things," I mumbled softly. "But… one in particular…" I continued, sighing heavily. I tried not to let it bother me but, like the images of Adam, it constantly came up. "What's going to happen to Drake if Adam is brought here…dead?" I asked him.

Cassidy was silent. Utterly silent. We were both very, very aware of Adam and Drake's connection, of their love. It was undeniable for anyone that they were soul mates. It had been so since the day they met, though no one was aware of it yet. That had been years ago, though, when everyone was still young and naïve. Now, we were not so anymore. Now we understood, now we could see.

A soft sigh came from Cassidy as we walked, our feet shuffling lightly against the stone floor. Sunlight came streaking through the open arch ways of the exterior palace wall, warmth filling the hallway. "I'm.. Well, I know what will happen to him as much as I don't want to think about it. I have to hope that, if Adam passes before we can save him, or before he's returned… I have to hope that Drake will persevere. I have to hope and pray to the Gods that he will find the strength to live and rule on…"

"But you know that he won't," I cut in, and Cassidy nodded in my peripheral. "He needs Adam. He needs Adam more than he needs air or food or water. He needs Adam more than he needs his own life and without Adam he withers and dies, little by little. If Adam dies… Drake will, too…"

"Adam wouldn't want that of him," Cassidy muttered.

"Drake wouldn't care at that point. He would look at the situation… He would see his lover, his heart and soul, _gone_… He would see that there is nothing left for him here and he would want to be with Adam in the After… Sure, he would know that he still has his family and his friends and his country, but…"

"But what?" Cassidy intervened and I sighed.

"Think about it… Think.. if you were taken, missing for many months with little to no knowledge of how you were doing, and you were dumped before Hiei, dead… Do you believe he would have the strength to go on without you?" Cassidy stared hard at me as we walked, our pace slowing some before coming to a complete stop. I knew the idea was hard and unfathomable, but it was true. If he couldn't understand the position Drake was in, I wanted him to consider it for himself and for his lover.

"Do you believe he would go on?" I repeated, and Cassidy swallowed.

"I would want him to." I shook my head.

"What you want and what he wants are two completely different things at this point. If you died, do you believe Hiei would want to live without you?" Cassidy clenched his jaw and gazed upon me with a heavy brown gaze.

"Do you believe Alex would want to live if you died?" I felt my heart ice over.

"Alex lived without Adam, he could live without me."

"And I lived without Brad! Adam lived without Alex and his family before Drake came along! Tommy… You ask whether or not Hiei could live without me… whether or not Drake can live without Adam… You loved Drake, if I remember correctly… You loved him and your heartache weakened you. It weakened you nearly to death, and then you and Alex found one another… Could any of us really live without our soul mates? …it's possible. It would be harder than anything, but it's possible…

"And is it fair to say that Alex could live without you? You obviously forget how intimately all of our lives are locked together. Could I live without Hiei? No… but I would try. Could Alex live without you? No.. but he would try. Could Drake live without Adam… no. I don't fully believe he could, not entirely. But he would try. He knows Adam would want him to. He knows his family would want him to. He would try… isn't that enough?"

I didn't realize I was crying until Cassidy stormed off, leaving me alone in the long stretch of open and warm hallway. As the argument tumbled over and over through my mind, I understood that I had been saying I believed Drake would give up if Adam died, and I wouldn't want that for him… I wouldn't want my best friend to sacrifice his own life and future simply because his loved one was gone…

But I knew I wouldn't be able to blame him if the situation ever came down to it. If Alex died… I would be lost. Just as lost as Drake is now without Adam. And if Cassidy died, or if Hiei went before him, the other wouldn't be able to survive… That much was true. Horrible as it was…

Sighing, I leaned against the wall, letting the tears roll down my cheeks. I must have been a fool to question Cassidy as I had. To bring him and Hiei into the equation to emphasize a point that didn't make much sense to begin with. I reached up, wiping the tears away with a shaking hand as I stared out through one of the archways. The sun was blazing hot and gold over Egypt. Houses, the bazaar, hotels, shops, restaurants, streets, cars, citizens… All of it was laid out before the palace…

I was a fool… To believe that my best friend wouldn't be strong enough to live without Adam… He already was living without Adam, and he was living stronger than ever. Drake might have believed that he was broken only following orders, but he was so strong… He was carrying the weight of Egypt on his shoulders, protecting her and keeping her alive in the absence of the one thing that made him alive…

"I'm sorry, Cassidy…" I muttered to no one. "You were right… He is trying." My words faded in the open air, lost on empty stone and paintings as I stared at the city.


	27. Outside These Walls

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Outside These Walls They Know You're Breathing  
>Adam's POV<strong>

It had been about two weeks since Derek had raped me with whatever it was he used. I still wasn't entirely sure what it was, but I didn't want to know. My body and my mental stability were both having a hard time recovering from the incident. I was weak from lack of nutrition, exercise, proper sleep and the ability to just go out and feel the sun on my skin. I could still feel the tears that Derek had created inside of me and even though he hadn't actually raped me with his dick, I felt sick and filthy, used, like a worthless whore.

What was even more painful than going through such a horrible five minutes of violation was the memory of Drake's rapes that so often haunted me. I wanted nothing more than to run to my lover and throw myself into his arms just so I could be close to him, just so I could have his arms around me, holding my trembling frame close as he whispered in my ear that it was going to be all right.

While I hadn't been raped by Derek, himself, I began to understand how Drake much have felt when Brad was taking advantage of him. Drake had been so receded and secluded because he was afraid of telling the truth, but when he finally did, all he wanted was the comfort of his lover to know that he was okay and that there was nothing wrong with him, that he hadn't done anything wrong. Back then I didn't understand that desire. I assumed that Drake wouldn't want me to be around him much, let alone touch him because he felt dirty and violated and that it I were to make advances, I would only make things worse, but now I understood.

I wanted nothing more than Drake to come to me, wrap his arms around me and sweep his fingers through my hair in a soothing gesture. I wanted him to kiss me and love me and tell me there was nothing wrong with me, even though I felt like the scum of the Earth. All I wanted was to hear him say "Adam, you didn't do anything wrong. You're a victim, but it doesn't make you dirty. You're fine and you're safe because I've got you now." If I closed my eyes, I could almost hear his voice whispering into my ear, telling me that he knew it was hard, but I was okay, I was strong enough to get through this and we would be together soon.

Really, I had no choice but to believe that Drake was communicating with me through the bond that we had created through our years of marriage and love. Yes, we had unbelievably amazing sex, but that wasn't the base of our relationship anymore. When he first came, that's what I wanted him for, but now I loved him with my whole heart and soul and the sex didn't matter. It didn't matter at all. We used it only as a form of expressing our love and to be as close as humanly possible to one another. In the moments we did make love, we ceased to be two people in love, but one person conjoined by love.

Gods how I missed him… If it wasn't for the hope I had in my husband, I didn't believe I would be able to survive living here in this cell, being bullied and tortured whenever the guards decided they were bored and needed something to do. I hated it here more than I could even begin to describe, but the couple of gifts and letters I had received from Drake were enough comfort to get me through until he found a way to save me. He didn't have a lot of belief in himself, but I believed in him more than I believed in the Gods that he would come. He would save me, it was just a matter of when.

Sighing, I curled up on my side, looking at the tick marks I had created in the wall, counting the number of days I had been here. Two hundred and forty-six days. Over eight months and I was still holding on. I had been beaten, forced to choke down a few cocks and raped with whatever that object Derek had, something like a night stick. Truly I had been nearly to my breaking point and still held on. I would hold on until I was home, in Drake's arms again. I made a promise to myself and to Drake that no matter what happened and no matter what they did to me, I wouldn't die here. I wouldn't.

I couldn't.

Closing my eyes, I tried to clear my mind. I didn't want to think of the dull ache that I could still feel between my legs. I wasn't healing quite right, even with Sebastian's care. I could still feel the rips inside me, like every time I moved they would pull open a little, like a cut right across a knuckle. I was in pain, but I could deal with it, I just wanted to sleep. Sleep got me away from this horrid place. Sleep put me back in Egypt, back in my palace, with my lover at my side and in my arms.

I was close to slipping under, not quite asleep but in that state where I could have been asleep if I stopped concentrating on my surroundings, when there was a loud bang on my cell bars. "Come on, Derek, leave him alone. He's sleeping," I heard a guard his and I tensed just a little. Derek always meant bad news and really, I just wanted to be done with him. If he wasn't constantly coming into my cell just to harass me, this situation wouldn't be nearly as difficult to deal with.

"No, the bitch isn't sleeping, he's just pretending to sleep like he always does," Derek said and I could practically hear the smirk in his voice as he slid his key into the cell door and slid it open. "Come on, we'll have a good time with this one." I heard a couple pairs of boots scraping across the stone, followed by the cell door being slammed closed. "Isn't that right, Old Man?" he asked, walking up to the cot. Obviously he was talking to me. Derek was a good ten years younger than me and because he had authority over me, he took on the role of master and I was just the old man that he liked to abuse.

I didn't respond. I hoped that if I continued to pretend I was sleeping, I would simply get away from this. The other guards sounded more reasonable than Derek. Maybe they would convince him to leave.

"Derek, I really think you should just leave him alone…" the other guard said. He sounded a little uneasy about being in my cell just to harass me. If I had been acting out or had done something to warrant punishment, it would have been a different story, but Derek wasn't really one to listen to anyone else.

"Shut up, James. Stop being such a pansy," he snarled, reaching down to fist my hair. He yanked me down from the coat, pulling a pained cry from my lips. "This is how we train our bitches. This is why they don't talk back and this is why they're so well behaved." When I looked up at Derek, I saw a pair of silver scissors shining in his hands and I felt my blood run cold. What was he doing with those? What was he going to do to me? Cut me? _Stab me?_ "Isn't that right?" Derek asked, opening the scissors and pressing one of the blades to the side of my face.

I whimpered, squeezing my eyes shut as he ran the blade lightly over my cheek. It wasn't painful or damaging, really, but the threat of a blade on my face, close to my mouth, eyes and throat was not something I welcomed. "Huh?" Derek hissed, his hand tightening in my hair and pulling as hard as he could manage. "Answer me, or I'll ruin this pretty face of yours, I promise I will," he hissed.

"Yes…" I whimpered, knowing that if I ignored Derek he really would carve my face. He was a fucked up, sadistic bastard and if given the right push, he would definitely do it.

He pressed the blade into my cheek, hard enough that it was uncomfortable, but he wasn't breaking skin yet. "Look at me when you say it, bitch!" he shouted, spit flying from his lips and hitting my face and neck.

"Derek, stop it. You can't justify hurting him," the other guard, James, said to him, but Derek wasn't really listening. He was determined to show this guard that treating the prisoners this way was the only way to keep them in line and that it was okay to have fun with it.

"_Look. At. Me."_ Derek hissed again and I slowly opened my eyes. I had hoped that the other guard would influence Derek to leave me alone, but talking to Derek, reasoning with Derek, was more like reasoning with a brick wall.

"Yes," I repeated quietly, looking him in the eye. I knew there was some sort of fear there, but mostly I hoped that I held my pride as the Pharaoh of Egypt. He could hurt me, he could break my body, but as long as I knew Drake was working to keep Egypt alive and to bring me home, I could survive anything Derek threw at me, no matter how much it might physically destroy me.

Derek looked me in the eye for what felt like hours, but was really only a moment or two. "You act like you're so proud, but really, you're just a bitch," he hissed, pulling the scissors away from my face. Relief washed through me, but I knew he wasn't done. I won this battle, but not the war. I wouldn't win the war until Drake came and took me away from this place and I prayed desperately that day would be soon because I couldn't guarantee that Derek wouldn't get carried away with his "fun".

"Derek…" James tried to say, but Derek just put a hand up, telling the other guard to shut up without saying a word.

"What should we do with you today, huh, Pharaoh?" he hissed in a very sarcastic tone. "Liked being filled last time, didn't you?" he asked and I couldn't stop my eyes from widening a bit. I could only image what he wanted to do now. Rape me with those scissors, shove them into me and then open them as wide as they could go… Or maybe he would just shove himself in me and make me choke on James at the same time…

Derek smirked and me and he ran his fingers through my hair in almost a soothing manner. It hadn't been cut in a long time. Before I was taken from Egypt, I let it grow out some because I liked it that way. Drake seemed to like it a lot too, so I never got around to cutting it. It had grown a few inches since I was brought here and it wasn't so stylish and neat anymore, but it was still my hair and it was really the last thing I had about me that was still mine. My jewels and clothes had been taken or ruined. All I had were the few things Drake sent back with Sebastian hidden in my pillowcase and the tattoos that never faded, but looking at my tattoos hurt. They reminded me I wasn't in Egypt and I couldn't perform my duties as Pharaoh and I couldn't be with my lover, taking care of him like my lover tattoos promised…. My hair was the only part of me that didn't belong to someone else and didn't make me feel guilty.

"You'd like to be filled again, wouldn't you, you whore?" Derek asked, holding my hair again. Really, there was no right answer to the question because obviously no, I didn't want to be filled again. I didn't want to be raped again, but if I said that out loud, I would probably get hit and raped anyway. However, if I said yes, I would be branded as even more of a whore and I would still be raped, only Derek would think I was consenting to it.

"N-no…" I whimpered quietly. "Please no…" Before I could even say anything else, Derek kicked me hard in the stomach and pushed me to the ground.

"Ungrateful little cocksucker," he hissed, raising his hand to hit me and he did, hard. "Maybe I just need to teach you another lesson, huh?" he shouted, kicking me in the side as hard as he could. I was sure he, at the very least, cracked a rib. "Hold him down for me, James," he hissed.

James looked a little reluctant. "I don't want to just help you rape him, Derek…" he said quietly and Derek scowled at him.

"I'm not going to rape the bitch, now hold him down!" he barked and James came over to me, grabbing a hold of my arms. Even though he wasn't as cruel as Derek, his grip was still tight and he was still strong. I wasn't strong enough to break away from him.

"What are you doing to do?" he asked and Derek opened and closed the scissors a few times, each time making a _shink_ sound. "Derek…"

"I'm not gonna hurt him. Much," Derek said and he fisted my hair, bringing the scissors up to show me before he started chopping my hair off in big chunks, laughing as my black locks fell around me. I tried to kick him, to get him away. It could have been a lot worse than just getting my hair cut but I felt like with every snip of my hair, I was losing another part of myself and I knew he was cutting all of the black out, leaving only the gray that had grown in since I was brought here, growing from worry, stress and depression.

The haircut itself only took a matter of minutes, but it felt like hours and hours of slowly losing myself. Derek was laughing and James was just holding me down, but he seemed rather disgusted with Derek… At least there were a few people in Persia who had hearts.

"You look so nice now, Old man," Derek sneered as he made the last cut and sat back to admire his work. "Nice and gray." He smirked at me, running his fingers through my short, uneven and choppy hair. Tears stung my eyes but I refused to let them fall, not with Derek still here. "I'll be back for some more fun later. Be ready for me..." He stood and pocketed his scissors. "Let's go, James," he said and without another word, he left, my chopped hair covering the floor around me.

"Bastard," I hissed once he and James were gone, tears streaking my face.


	28. Not A Day Goes By

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Not A Day Goes By That I Don't Think Of You  
>Alexander's POV<strong>

Eight months, two weeks, three days. That's how long Adam had been gone, and other than the sporadic letters he would send to Drake, there wasn't much in the way of knowing how he was doing, what Emir was planning or whether or not we could even hope to rescue him from Persia. Only the same things, over and over: "I'm holding on. I'm fighting. Please hurry…" that type of thing…

I wasn't complaining by any means. Each letter from Adam just reassured all of us that he was still alive. That he was fighting and fighting until we could figure out the best way possible to go to Persia. The best strategy and methods of negotiation. Emir's proposals were all full of shit, truly, but he was still a man of power, and if we barged into his territory.. well, our status would help, but he'd be calling the shots. He'd be able to do almost whatever he wanted.

I didn't want to think about it, though. I was still holding out for Emir to just wise up and realize that we weren't going to give him the throne to all of Egypt, and that holding Adam hostage was futile. However, I didn't want him to lash out and… put Adam's life in danger if we told him that, either.

Unfortunately, though, we were running out of time. Our allies could only help us so much and they wanted to keep war on the back burner for as long as possible. It was perfectly clear to us that if we continued to refuse Emir's demands for Egypt's crown, he would push us until we declared war. He was a ruthless bastard like that and, no doubt, would stop at nothing short of simply being defeated or assassinated until he got his way.

I'd thought long and hard about simply having his punk ass annihilated…

But we couldn't. Even if our best assassins went after Emir, snuck in and poisoned him and got out before being detected, the Persians would still know it was us. We were the only country in a tiff with Persia, and everyone else seemed to be mostly at peace with one another. Besides, assassination would just be a gateway to war, and then all of our efforts would be for nothing.

"Baby?" Tommy's voice cut through my thoughts and I looked up at him, humming softly in response. "Are you alright? You seem rather upset." I shrugged a little, leaning into his touch as Tommy caressed my cheek with the back of his fingers.

"I'm just thinking, that's all," I told him, turning into his touch to kiss hi hand. He smiled softly, at me, reaching up to push my hair from my face.

"What are you thinking about, love?" He asked, and I sighed a little, purring softly as he massaged the top of my head.

"A lot of things. What we can do about Persia and the situation we're in. How we're going to get Adam home… Just everything, really. I don't want to think about what they're doing to him but I know if we don't act fast, we may be too late…" I mumbled softly, and Tommy nodded slowly. He understood our disposition far better than anyone other than myself, Cassidy and Drake. He knew Adam almost as long as Cassidy and I had, and he knew that even someone as strong as Adam had a breaking point.

"We're doing everything we can, Alex, and you know that. Adam's fighting and Drake is fighting and we're going to get him out of there. I know we're going to…" Tommy assured me. I wanted so desperately to believe him but it was hard. Adam had been gone for eight and a half months and we'd made no progress in negotiating with Emir…

"I know.. I know we are, I'm just… I'm terrified something's happen.. or that something will happen. I'm terrified that I'm going to wake up and we'll have news that Adam is gone or something…" I voiced my fears and found myself shaking a little, and Tommy wrapped his arms around me to comfort me.

"It's not going to happen, Alex. It's not. Adam's not going to die. Not for many, many years." I sighed.

"How can you be so sure?"

"He won't give up that easily. He's tough, and when he's determined to do something, nothing will stop him. Not even death…" I chuckled softly. As hard as it was to believe that _nothing_ would stop Adam from coming home, Tommy had a point. Adam was a fierce and determined individual. He would let nothing trivial stop him. I'm sure if Emir held him at point blank with a gun, it'd be a different story…

"Alright…" I said, trailing off before kissing him. "Thank you, Tommy. Unfortunately, I have to go…" He pouted.

"What for?"

"I have to go into the bazaar and do a little bit of shopping. Pick up a few more supplies. Besides, your birthday is coming up and I want to look for something for you," I said, planting another kiss on his lips. Tommy moaned softly, kissing me back deeply before I pulled away.

"You don't have to…"

"Yes, I do. Don't say that. I'll be back as soon as I can, alright?" I told him and he nodded, smiling at me.

"Be safe." I smiled back at him.

"I will."

Dressed in green trousers, a shirt and a white, sleeveless robe and sandals, I walked along through the crowded streets of the bazaar. Vendors were selling goods of all kinds from breads and pastries to linens and jewels. Some had paintings and art supplies and others had fabrics and threads. No matter which way you turned, each vendor had something new to sell. Something they wanted you to look at, something to pique your interest.

Clutching my bag close, I kept a hand on the servant boy who was mingling around with me. He was a short, young lad of about twenty with deep black hair and large, chocolate brown eyes. He was tan with toned muscles beneath his white smock and shorts, his sandals dusty from wear. His name was Malik and he'd been serving since he was fourteen.

"Stay close to me," I told him, and he nodded once. We wandered throughout the bazaar, and I bought some of the thing we needed. Reams of paper, lead, ink, paints and a new sketchpad for Drake, fabric and thread for Cassidy, a few new tools for Eric, Jonah and Hayden—they'd taken a deep interest to the motorcycles in the garage of the palace and were working to fix up some of the old ones. All of this was packaged neatly and placed into my bag as well as the bag and basket that Malik was holding onto.

We shopped for a while, circling around groups of stalls and the small shops that more successful vendors had. Egypt might have been a pretty poor country with less jobs that it should, but if one wanted to make it in the economy, working and selling in the bazaar was not a bad option. It was constantly growing with new vendors, and the people were friendly enough that they were willing to work with new merchants in the event someone else didn't have what they were looking for.

After a while, I began to notice a few more personal items that I wanted to purchase. Not wanting Malik to get bored with my browsing, I gave him the list of other things that we were going to need and sent him on his way. "Find me within the hour," I told him before watching his black head disappear into the sea of customers.

I wandered into one little tent-like shop, gazing amongst beautiful items of jewelry and make up. Tommy had a fascination for jewelry even if he never wore it very often, but I knew he really like earrings and cuffs. I stared at a glass case of rings and cuffs, looking at the detail work and the pricing before finding an industrial bar that had a sort of cuff attached to it.

Only one side of the bar came undone, so that it could easily slip through the two holes in the ear. The closed side had an open cuff that would curve along the edge of the ear with intricately designed scarab beetles etched into the metal work. Glancing up, I waved the vendor down before pointing to the item. He pulled it from the case and handed it to me for closer inspection. I smiled and purchased it, giving extra for the craftsmanship.

Walking onward, I found myself mindlessly looking around, and upon doing this I began to notice something that I had not when I first entered the bazaar. In each of the tents, sometimes small, sometimes large, sometimes in the front of the stall or shop or in the very back, was a massive eye of Horus. But it wasn't just like any eye of Horus that you could find in Egypt. Each station had the same, specific design.

But this design was familiar… Like I had seen it before, many, many times, yet I couldn't place where. The farther I wandered into the bazaar, the more I saw it. It was everywhere! As I walked and passed children, I found them taking sticks and stones and they drew it into the sand. Citizens of Egypt mingled around me, some wearing this Eye around their necks on necklaces, others with bracelets, murmuring to themselves in prayer. Like this design, this particular Eye had become iconic…

I continued walking about, poking my head into a few stalls and tents to see if anything interested me. A lot of the time nothing did. There would be a few things that looked intriguing or beautiful, but nothing that really spoke to me. I had half a mind to just start looking for Malik, check his progress on the shopping before I stopped at the entrance of a tent with deep purple walls.

Slowly, I made my way into it, seeing trinkets, sheets, tapestries and religious items. Rosaries, prayer beads, everything under the sun possible. All of them had the Eye. The Eye that had been all over every tent and stall in the bazaar. And it still seemed so strangely familiar that I felt like a fool for not recognizing it.

Making my way further into the tent, I gazed upon each item, amazed at the elaborate detail. Like each piece had been under the special care of someone who dedicated their life to this design, this practice. I felt uneasy, and I looked around until I finally saw the vendor sitting in the back as she carved away at a small piece of wood. She was an elderly lady, with short white hair and white skin, dressed in beads of wood and glass, her dress hanging loose off of her frame.

"Excuse me?" I said politely, coming up to the table she sat behind. She glanced up at me and smiled.

"What can I do for you?" She asked.

"I… I would like to know what this design is. Why is it so popular?" I asked, pointing at one of the completely fabrics in front of me. It looked like a cutout of a sheet, like something someone would keep on them for personal reasons. She raised a white eyebrow at me, her wrinkled face pulling into a knowing smirk.

"My boy, you should know this better than anyone. You're one of the Pharaoh's advisers—" I opened my mouth to ask her how she knew, but she continued. "—don't play dumb. Old Salwa knows…" I shut my mouth, staring hard at her.

"Yes, I… I am one of the Pharaoh's advisers… but.. but that's beside the point. What is this from? And why does every vendor have it? Why does every child carve it into the sand?" I pleaded. She licked her lips and sighed, giving her attention to the carving in her hands.

"This Eye of Horus is the same that is inked onto Pharaoh's Adam's flesh," she told me, eyeing me before looking back to her work. "I used to watch over Pharaoh Adam, when he was a young boy. I saw him get this design tattooed, and I haven't forgotten it. Since the day he was taken, the people of Egypt have been praying and crying and begging for his safe return. I recreated the design and started putting it into jewelry and fabric, so that everyone could have their beloved Pharaoh in their hearts and prayers."

I stared at the woman with wide, shocked eyes. I should have known. Truly, I should have and I was so blind as to have forgotten it. It was Adam's favorite tattoo, his favorite symbol of protection. I dropped my gaze to the table of items in front of me, staring back at the dozens of Eye of Horus that looked back up at me. But it was hardly the Eye of Horus.. no… It was the Eye of Adam. Adam, continuing to watch over me and his people, his country… Just as we prayed and watched over him in spirit.

I brought a shaking hand to my lips, and I started to cry.


	29. What Was It About That Night?

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: What Was It About That Night? Connection In an Isolated Game  
>Sebastian's POV<strong>

Adam's condition was quickly going downhill. Derek was finding every possible way to torture Adam, not to mention, the exposure to constant filth with nothing but stale bread and dirty water for nourishment, he was quickly on a rapid decline to a life threatening illness. I knew he wasn't going to last much longer like that, so I decided that I needed to use the trip I was on to send Emir's newest proposal to my advantage.

We were a day away from Egypt and as much as I wanted to get to the Pharaoh, I wished I was with Adam. He needed my care now more than ever and I could have been healing him easily if Emir hadn't stopped my supply of proper medications. Emir just didn't care about the prisoners at all. He didn't care that they were dying off one by one, a new casualty almost daily. I hated watching it so much, but the one person I could not deal with losing was Adam. If he were to die… Well I really just didn't know what I would do. I didn't know what Egypt would do and I didn't know what Drake, the Pharaoh of Egypt, would do.

Luckily I was left alone in one of the tents while my escorts were busy eating like it was going out of style around the fire. They were making jokes, a lot of them crude and filthy, discussing the prisoners, mostly Adam and then there were the things they said about Drake. I couldn't explain why each and every comment made about Drake sent anger boiling through my blood. Yes, I respected him greatly, but I felt like there was more to it than that…

"If I was the one to follow them into that pyramid," one guard started to say. "I would have pulled that beautiful redhead to me, stripped him and fucked him like the bitch he was and made the Pharaoh watch. Then I would have slit his pretty little throat and left him there to rot!" They all laughed but I just wanted to punch each of them. They were all so sick.

"Why slit his throat? You could have taken him back to Persia and made him your own personal bitch! I'm sure he's a great fuck, even better while holding him down and feeling him struggling beneath you!" another guard exclaimed and they all laughed again. It was sickening truly, but I tried my damnedest to ignore them. I was trying to write a letter to Drake, telling him that Adam was hanging on, but that he was in bad shape and Drake needed to do something quickly.

_My Pharaoh,_

_I'm sorry that this letter is short, but I am in the middle of a camp full of Persian soldiers, on my way to deliver you a proposal from Emir, and I don't have too much time to be alone, but I need you to know about your husband. He's… not doing so well. He's starting to get sick and some of the guards have taken an unhealthy interest in him. Adam is holding on to every last bit of hope he has for you and I know that it's enough to keep him hanging on, but he may not last much longer in this physically diminishing state. Adam needs you and I know you are stuck between a rock and a hard place, but please, My Pharaoh, please, you have to hurry. I will do everything I can to keep Adam living through this, but I don't know how much more he can take._

_He needs you and Persia needs you as well. If Emir is allowed to remain in power, Persia, as well as Egypt and all of Her surrounding countries will be in danger… I know you can do this and I urge you to do something as soon as you possibly can._

_With all my hope,  
>The Messenger— Sebastian<em>

I tore the page from my journal and put it into Emir's proposal. It was right on the inside cover, because none of the guards ever cared to look at the documents. I believed that they were just too complicated for the men to understand. All they really understood was torture and sex and even the sex was more like rape. They were all just buffoons really. I'd never met a worse group of people in my life and in my line of work; I had seen a lot of fucked up families, friends and coworkers. These guards just didn't have hearts and they only enjoyed other people's pain.

I repacked my bag quickly and curled up. Sleep wouldn't visit me, I knew that already, but I couldn't let the guards know that I was awake. If they knew that I was up and plotting against all of Persia in my tent, well, I'd probably be beaten, raped and left in the desert to die.

The night was a long and cold one, but we left first thing in the morning and reached Egypt's palace within several hours. I thought we should have just pushed through to get to the palace without stopping, but none of the escorts wanted to do that and I would have been a fool to suggest anything otherwise. In the end, it didn't matter. Really, all that mattered was that I got this note to the Pharaoh in time for him to help Adam.

As I walked into the throne room, I was overcome with this sense of being home. It hit me every time I came here and whenever I looked up the Pharaoh, I always felt like I should know him more than I did, like I should be a bigger role in his life. I could never explain why I felt like I was looking at someone I knew when I looked at the young Pharaoh, but he was just so… So familiar, it was hard to ignore the attraction to him. It wasn't anything physical or sexual. Unlike Adam, I wasn't interested in men. I had no issues with homosexuals, obviously, but I wasn't one myself. No, my attraction to Drake, while he was very beautiful, was nothing to do with how he looked or how he held himself. It was more like he was a part of me and the only conclusion I could come up with was that I was so close to Adam and that made me close to Drake in an indirect way.

Even that didn't sound right.

"My Pharaoh, King Emir sends his newest proposal to you," I said, kneeling before Drake, sitting on his throne. He was dressed similar to how he was always dressed; gold shorts, a sheer top, a beautiful silk crimson robe hanging off of his shoulders and beautiful gold jewelry accenting his body, but not overly done.

Drake stood from the throne. "You may stand," he said as he descended the short staircase and approached me, his robe swishing behind him. I could tell that he was thinner than the last time I saw him and he was rather pale, almost sick looking, but not quite. He had definitely been skipping meals though, and he could probably stand to see a doctor, but I was just a messenger and even though I was worried about the well being of My Pharaoh, I wouldn't say anything that disrespectful to him. He had advisers and such for that.

"Emir requests that you send a response as quickly as you possibly can," I told him, pulling the proposal from my bag and handing it over to the Pharaoh. He was about a head shorter than me, but there was something so familiar about him. I wanted to reach out and touch his smooth, beautiful skin. He looked like someone I used to know and deep down I knew who he reminded me so much of, but I didn't have much time to ponder why I felt so close to this man.

"Emir will receive his response when I've finished my counter proposal," Drake said to me, slowly opening the little bound booklet. It was all just fancy words for the same thing Emir always wanted: the throne to Egypt. Drake couldn't give that to him, everyone in every country from Egypt to Persia knew that Drake couldn't give into that kind of demand. It was just preposterous, but I knew what Emir was trying to do. He wanted to hold Adam captive, abuse him to near death and wait for Drake to declare war because, clearly, Emir had committed an act of war. If Drake did declare war, no one would follow him into battle though. He would lose all of his allies and there would be the bloodiest battle that this section of the world had seen in years.

Drake would not be held responsible for all of that bloodshed, not that I blamed him.

"Please, My Pharaoh," I said in the ancient language. "There is a note in the proposal that you need to read. Adam is hanging on… But he needs you. I don't think he'll be able to hold out for that much longer…"

Drake's eyes went wide as he looked at me, his beautiful blue eyes shining and worried. "W-what…?" he asked quietly, his hands tightening hard on the proposal. For how small he was, he seemed to be rather strong, because I thought he was just going to rip the book in half in his grip.

"He's sick… And he's getting sicker," I whispered in the old language. "He's hanging in there, but Emir stopped giving me what I need to take care of him and he needs help… I know you're in a hard spot but please… try to figure something out. Please…"

Drake nodded a little, tears hanging onto the brims of his eyes but he wouldn't let them fall, not in front of Persian soldiers and I had to admire him for how strong he was. "I'll figure something out, Sebastian," he said quietly. "Tell Adam to hold on for just a bit longer… I'm coming to get him."

"Thank you, My Pharaoh," I said quietly. I didn't really know what Drake would do and I was afraid to linger on it for very long, but I had to put my trust in him, just like Adam had put his trust in him. Adam had given Drake his entire kingdom to look after, so I had to trust that he would pull through. If this gut feeling I had about him was accurate, he would save Adam and manage to keep a war from breaking out. He had to… "I must go…" The Persian soldiers were getting tired of waiting.

"Be safe," Drake told me as I turned to leave.

"You too, My Pharaoh," I said, bowing a little in respect before I joined my escorts again so we could leave. As we walked down the steps of the palace, back towards our vehicles, Drake's words just rang out through my mind over and over like a chime.

_"Be safe."_


	30. Slip Into The Fantasy…

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Slip Into The Fantasy…**

**Drake's POV**

Adam was sick… he was sick and getting sicker and, by the sound of Sebastian's letter, there was almost nothing he could do to help Adam get better. And if Adam was sick, that meant I was running out of time. Sebastian had said it himself, I needed to act—_fast_.

Gods, how could I have been so stupid? All this time I had been sitting in the comforts of my palace writing useless proposals, meeting with ignorant allies and leaders, and my husband, my _Adam_, was getting sicker and weaker by the minute. I'd been here.. safe and sound while my husband battled torture, illness, and…

Oh, _Gods…_

Adam was hundreds of miles away in Persia, fighting everyday for his life, and I was doing nothing. Absolutely _nothing_. I wasn't making progress or bettering his kingdom, I wasn't opposing our enemy or making any real efforts to bring him home… I wasn't doing a damn thing to help him, and now he was paying for it…

I fled the throne room with tears streaming down my face. I blew past servants, each of them calling after me in concern, but I paid them no mind. I couldn't think. I couldn't speak. I could barely breathe, let along acknowledge them and accept their comfort. And no matter how hard they might try, they would never understand. All I could do was cry and feel sorry for myself… and for Adam…

I found myself pressed to a set of large, wooden double doors and realized I'd made it to my bedroom. Fumbling with the handles, I pushed the doors open quickly, stumbling inside some. Sobs tore from my throat as I turned and slammed the doors shut, the sound ringing through my room. The proposal slipped from under my arm, the papers falling out and scattering all over, Sebastian's letter like a black smear over them all. It was the only thing I kept looking back to, and every time I set eyes upon it I wanted to scream.

Gods, Adam was sick… what if he was dying? What if, by the time Sebastian reached him in Persia, he was… oh, _Gods_, no.. that couldn't… he couldn't… he wouldn't! Adam promised me! He promised that he would hold on and fight for me! He promised he would, for me, because he needed me! And I…

I failed him. I'd done nothing for him and now he was sick… and it was all my fault.

"I'm sorry!" I wailed, leaning heavily on the doors. "Oh, Gods, I'm sorry, Adam… I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" Tears rolled as my legs failed me. I fell to the floor, trembling so violently I must have looked like I was having a seizure. I hid my face behind my hands as I cried. It felt like my heart was shattered, a million tiny, bleeding pieces that were slowly crumbling away from one another, bleeding and burning and dying…

Inside my mind, though, the images were worse. Memories flooding back from when Adam had been poisoned, and when Tommy was sick… But instead of Tommy, it was Adam. So pale and weak and unresponsive. Dark shadows under his eyes, his lids looking bruised, his beautiful lips pale and chapped and cracking and.. oh… No, please, no.. no more of these images.. no more…

There was a soft meow that sounded to me in the middle of my grief and I moved my hands away to see Pharaoh, butting his head against my calf. His blue eyes were wide, looking almost concerned as he rubbed against my leg, meowing again. Tears were streaming too fast to stop and I reached down, pulling the cat into my arm. He rested his paws over my shoulder, sniffing and nuzzling at my neck as I held him tight.

"Oh, Gods, Pharaoh.." I moaned, burying my nose into his fur as my body trembled with sobs. "What if he's gone…? What if it's too late, Pharaoh?" My mind was torturing itself with horrendous fantasies of Adam's body, broken and lifeless, being tossed like a sack of garbage onto the front steps… I couldn't think this way but it was hopeless. Sebastian's letter only brought to light the fears that I had been dwelling in for months. Adam was sick and we were running out of time, if not completely done for already.

Pharaoh meowed softly, rubbing against my shoulder, purring like a madman to, no doubt, cheer me up. But it was..sadly, useless. Everything within me ached and Pharaoh's purring just made the pieces quiver. Choking softly, I set my cat down on the floor beside me as my gaze wandered across the floor to Sebastian's letter. His handwriting was neat but his message was foul and fresh, hot tears poured.

Somehow I managed to crawl my way over to the bed, pulling myself up onto it after stripping the jewels and my sandals. Pharaoh meowed again, jumping up onto the bed before rubbing against me. I wrapped myself in Adam's robe as tightly as possible, curling up into the smallest ball I could make with Pharaoh in my arms. His tiny little black head rested up against my heart and I forced my eyes shut.

How could I have done this to Adam? How could I have sat here and done nothing while he suffered in the dirtiest parts of Persia? How could I have been so… ignorant, hoping things would get better on their own when I could have taken action! I knew where he was. I knew who was responsible. I should have marched on into Persia and demanded, in person, that Emir let my husband go… I should have…

I forced the thoughts away, and wanted desperately to sleep. But I watched the light fade into dark as the wind grew cold and sleep did not come to me. Tears flowed and stopped and flowed fresh, and Pharaoh slept safe and warm in my arms but I did not. I stared at the sky just beyond the arch that led onto the balcony, watching the colors change until it was black.

Between the grief and my stress, I managed to fall asleep. But it was uneasy and full of swirling images until finally locking onto what became the worst nightmare I'd had in many, many years. _It was broad daylight out, hotter than any other day I'd felt in my near-thirty years of living in Egypt. I sat, still and stoic, in the throne with one of Adam's golden robes hanging loosely off of my shoulders. Despite the heat, I kept it on. It was comforting. _

_A sound of footsteps came rushing in and I lifted my head to see Hiei sprinting at me. I frowned, sliding off of the throne just as he ascended the stairs and threw himself into my arms, weeping heavily. Frowning, I ran my fingers through his hair before pulling back from him, fear gripping at my heart. "What, Hiei? What is it? Is something wrong with Cassidy? Tommy?"_

_Hiei shook his head, the tears falling so fast down his face I couldn't even keep up with trying to wipe them away. I cupped his cheeks, trying to still him enough to understand what he was mumbling, but he was crying too hard. There were only incoherent moans and murmurs that I couldn't understand. "Hiei! What… Hiei, what are you trying to tell me?" _

_More pained moans and sobs before one word, a name, fell from his lips that made my heart freeze… "Adam."_

_I dropped my hands, looking away from him to where he had come from. The front steps. Was he crying out of happiness or was it out of grief. I withdrew from my friend, pushing past him before racing down the steps that were connected to the massive pedestal the throne sat upon. My sandals slapped against the stone but what was once a short distance from the stairs to the outer archways of the palace now seemed like miles, and I was breathless by the time I reached them._

_Though, beyond the archways were not the stairs that led down from the palace, but rather a narrow path that tipped off at a cliff's edge, darkness swirling around on the sides. Far from me, towards the edge, were three people. King Emir in a glory with which I'd never seen and a scarf over his face, his eyes piercing at me through a tiny gap, Derek, the Persian soldier whom I held so much resentment towards, with a hand in the mane of faded black hair of my lover. _

_Adam looked weak, sickly, with dark circles under his eyes and pale, bruised, scarred and mottled skin. His hands were bound with thick, rusted iron shackles, and his eyes were locked on me. Pained, blue-grey irises swirled, screaming their own message, their own fear since Adam's mouth was gagged and tied shut. _

_Leave, Drake! Get away from here! It was like I could hear him inside of my head, screaming, begging me to flee. Emir crossed his arms over his chest as Derek pulled a long, wide-bladed dagger from a sheathe attached to his boot. My eye widened as he lifted it, grinning like a devilish madman at me before pressing it to Adam's throat._

"_No! No, please!" I shouted, running forward. But it felt like there was a massive weight chained to me. I was slow, reaching out for Adam as I ran towards him. My heart was beating so hard in my chest I was only waiting for the moment that it would burst forth from within me. Yet, even as I ran, getting closer and closer, I could only watch in horror as Derek dragged the dagger across Adam's pale throat._

"Adam!_" I howled, stumbling to a stop. Adam's eyes were wide, pained and terrified, a ragged line of red torn over his throat, blood pouring down onto him. Derek's grip in his hair tightened and he pulled Adam back just enough… I watched, frozen and in shock, as Adam disappeared over the edge. _

"_No!" I hadn't even realized the word had ripped itself from my throat until after I'd started running again. The path vanished beneath my feet as Emir and Derek faded from my sight. Only the edge of the cliff remained and the image of Adam falling from it lingered in my mind. I was breathing hard, nearing it, desperate to go after Adam even if it was the last thing I ever did. I couldn't lose him. Not like this… Not to them…_

"_Drake—wait!" I heard, but I ignored it. The edge was nearing yet still seemed so far away from me. Tears fell in what felt like rivers down my face as I stumbled, crawling for a moment before picking myself up. "Drake! Stop!" Arms and hands grabbed and wrapped around me. The edge was just inches from my feet and I howled, fighting and clawing at whoever was trying to hold me back. _

"_Let go of me!" I shouted, clawing at the arms and hands again. My feet slid, one slipping over the edge. So close. So close to Adam.. why couldn't I just… "Let me go! Just let me be with him! Please, let me be with him!" _

"_Drake! Wake up! Drake!"_

The arms shook me again and my eyes snapped open. Cold wind bit at my face and neck I realized I was half-dangling from the edge of the balcony. I gasped, horror and fear punching me in the gut as I turned and grabbed at person who was holding me back from certain death. Tears flowed as I kicked at the balcony, trying to get away.

I only managed to lose my balance though, and both feet slipped from the edge. I screamed, clutching onto the arms and shoulders that were wrapped around my waist, tucked against my back. I took a moment to study them and recognized them as Tommy's, his voice grunting into my ear as he pulled me back. My legs scraped against the stone, my body trembling as Tommy held me down against the floor of the balcony, breathing hard.

"What…the fuck…where you thinking?" He roared at me, trying to catch his breath. I stared at the balcony's edge, the dream so vivid and haunting in my mind. "I thought you promised to hold on and to fight for him? And yet I come to check on you and your moments from throwing yourself off your balcony?"

"I didn't…" I said, shaking. I didn't know… I didn't know… "I…"

"What? You were what, Drake?" I couldn't blame Tommy for being angry, but it wasn't helping the situation.

"I was dreaming! I didn't… I didn't know I was…" I trailed off. I tried to throw myself from my balcony…because of a dream. I'd dreamt Adam had died and I wanted so desperately to just be with him even in death that I… unconsciously tried to kill myself…

"Gods, Drake…" Tommy's arms wrapped themselves around me, pulling me close. He was crying. "Please… please, don't.. don't ever… please…"

"I won't, I won't…" I murmured, gazing at the balcony's railing.


	31. It Takes Me Way Back…

**Chapter Thirty: It Takes Me Way Back…  
>Cassidy's POV<br>**  
>It was obvious that something had to be done about Adam's situation and quickly. Drake had shown us the letter that the messenger Sebastian had left for him and it left all of us incredibly worried. Adam was sick, King Emir's soldiers were mistreating him and the messenger who came here was also Adam's doctor, who informed Drake that he no longer had access to medications and supplies he needed to help Adam get over his illness.<p>

We were running out of time. Soon Adam would be dead, either by being beaten to death or by dying of this sickness he suddenly had. There was no way that his weakened state would be able to fight off any sort of illness or infection because he was so weak. He was living in constant filth and he was being fed nothing more than old bread and dirty water. We couldn't expect him to keep holding on for whenever we managed to settle this peacefully because we probably would never settle it peacefully.

But we were kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place because what exactly were we supposed to do? If war broke out, millions of innocent people would be put in danger. Thousands, if not millions of people would be killed in one of the bloodiest wars of the new millennia. A war between Egypt and Persia would be a blood, violent one that would affect more than just our countries, but all surround countries and possibly even countries all over the world.

I loved Adam. He was my best friend and my Pharaoh, so I was torn. I wanted him home almost as much as Drake did, but could we truly justify letting thousands upon thousands of die to bring home one person? However, on the opposite side of that, if Adam were to die, King Emir would just start a war anyway and Egypt would be weak. Drake would be weak and if Drake was weak and Adam was gone, Egypt would fall.

And after the events of a few nights ago, I was convinced that if Adam died, Drake would die too…

Tommy had told us Drake almost threw himself from his balcony, which would definitely be a certain death. Drake had been sleep walking with was the result of a nightmare where King Emir murdered Adam by slitting his throat and then threw him off the cliff. In a desperate last attempt to be with his lover, Drake jumped to follow him, but he didn't realize he had almost killed himself in real life. Since that had happened, everyone was terrified of what Drake would do if he were left alone, so we decided we weren't going to leave him alone at night. If we lost both Adam and Drake, we might as well just give Egypt to Emir on a silver platter, because there was absolutely no way that Egypt could thrive without them.

"So… The recent events have left us with a choice to make," I said.

Drake sat at the head of a rather long table with Alex and myself at his sides. The rest of our friends and family were sitting around they table, wanting to be as involved in the decision making as the three of us. I didn't think it was a very good idea, but Drake said that it was because this decision affected all of us, not just the Pharaoh and his two advisers. Alex was dead set against war and against going to Persia. I was kind of stuck on the fence because my heart said that we needed to go, but my brain said that going would be suicide. Drake, on the other hand, was fully in support of going to Persia and he sounded like nothing and no one would change his mind.

"I don't see how any of you think there is any room for discussion on this matter," Drake said, rubbing his tired and stressed eyes with his hands. Pharaoh sat curled in his lap. Ever since Drake found that cat, or from how he explained it, the cat found him, Pharaoh was always right there with Drake. He followed Drake around the palace like he was supposed to be a seeing eye dog instead of a cat and whenever Drake sat down, Pharaoh claimed his lap as his, like Drake belonged to him or something.

"Drake, we can't just go barging into Persia—" Alex started to say, but Alex was very clearly getting on Drake's nerves. I didn't really blame Drake. He had worked so hard to keep peace and, as a result, his husband was just weeks away from death. Alex missed Adam and wanted him home, but not like I did and even I didn't match Drake's want and need for his husband and our Pharaoh to come home.

"Alex, if you say that one more time, I swear I'm going to hit you. I understand that you don't want to go to Persia, but to be perfectly honest; I don't give a damn about what you want anymore. This isn't about you, this isn't about me, this isn't about Adam, this is about this country and Persia because the fact of the matter is that whether we got there or we sit here on our asses and do absolutely nothing, a war is inevitable," Drake hissed, putting his hands down on the table. Alex was speechless, as well as the rest of us. Usually Drake was very passive and he was sweet and caring but right now he was in charge and he knew it. He was definitely taking the role of Pharaoh very seriously right now, probably because he was tired of doing nothing and he was tired of his advisers and his friends making excuses to do nothing.

"So… you're completely set on going to Persia then?" I asked Drake, turning to look at him. "You're going to go to Persia? Because it that's what you decide to do, we'll support it and we'll pack up and go."

"Cassidy, that's not—" Alex started to say but I shot him a glare that said 'Alex, you better shut the fuck up right now because this isn't your decision anymore.' No, going to Persia wasn't the best solution, but it might have been the only one we had at this point, since Emir was so unwilling to cave to our demands. He was determined to start a war and I was beginning to believe that there was no way out of that. Drake was realizing that too but if that was because he had Egypt's best interests at heart or Adam's I wasn't sure…

There was a long silence in the room. Everyone, including Pharaoh, was looking at Drake, waiting for an answer. Drake was staring at the table for a long time, seeming to be lost in thought. His eyes were kind of glassed over, but then the dazed look dispersed and cleared, being replaced with a hard, determined look.

"I realize that going to Persia is dangerous, but going to Persia might be the only thing that we can do," he said finally. "They are determined to start a war with us and us sitting here isn't going to change that. Us going to Persia isn't going to change that, but sitting on our asses doing absolutely nothing will definitely get us no where. If we go to Persia, at the very least, we might be able to save Adam, if not settle this in person. Sitting here and not doing anything at all will only get Adam killed and put our countries at war."

"So there's no more room for discussion then?" Alex asked, sounding rather displeased and sarcastic. Really, I could see this argument from both sides. Drake was right but at the same time, so was Alex. However the question did arise, that if we decided to do nothing and Adam died, would we be able to live with ourselves? I knew that Drake would hate himself for forever, possibly even try to kill himself again but consciously this time around.

"I don't think that there should be anymore room for discussion, Alex, because every minute we're sitting here arguing over something so obvious is another minute that Adam is getting sicker and closer to dying and another minute closer to a war between Egypt and Persia breaking out," Drake said, sounding determined and confident in himself and what he was saying. The truth was, he was absolutely right and even if it was dangerous to go to Persia… Sitting around and waiting for the worst to happen just wasn't really acceptable.

"So we're just going to march in there, unprotected and unarmed?" Alex asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Drake looked like he wanted to punch Alex because he was just being so stubborn. Get a whole room of stubborn men into one room and fighting was bound to happen, but there had been continuous tension between Drake and Alex since Adam was kidnapped and taken to Persia. They got along and then they were at each other's throats and it was just starting to get ridiculous. It was very much a "BOYS! Boys, you're both pretty, can we stop this ridiculous fighting already?" moment.

"No one is asking you to go, Alex. In fact, none of you seem all that thrilled about my decisions… So, if you don't want to go, stay here and do nothing. I'll go alone if I have to. All I do know is that I can't just sit here and do nothing while I could be doing something. I'm sorry if you find that stupid or ridiculous or if you find me stupid and ridiculous, but this is how I feel about it," Drake said and I knew this was no longer an open discussion. Drake was absolutely determined to go and fight for Adam and for Egypt. There was absolutely no way, even with the help of the Gods, that we could change his mind. For all we knew, maybe he was a God and the only reason he was so willing to go to Persia was because he knew that he could win and put an end to all of this.

Okay, so maybe that sounded a little irrational, but a guy could hope, right? Everyone compared Drake to one of the Gods, maybe that was actually for a real reason, because it was true.

Doubtful though.

"We're not letting you go to Persia alone…" Tommy finally said. It was the first time in over almost an hour that anyone besides Drake, Alex and myself had actually stepped forward to say something.

"Well you don't really have much of a choice, now do you?" Drake asked, standing from the table with Pharaoh in his arms. The cat climbed up onto his shoulders and wrapped himself around Drake's neck, lying there like it was comfortable. "I'm done sitting here and talking. This isn't helping anything. I've made up my mind already," Drake said and without another word, he left us all sitting alone in silence. There was no way we were going to let Drake go to Persia by himself but… Drake was thick headed while, at the same time, being brilliant.

Nothing was going to change his mind now.


	32. I Don't Want The World To See Me

**Chapter Thirty-One: I Don't Want The World To See Me**

**Adam's POV**

Reaching up slowly, I pressed my fingertips to the scratched-in tally marks on the wall. The grooves were thick though hardly deep at all, and I shuddered some to myself as the number danced round in my head, taunting me in a way. Three hundred, forty-one. I had been here two weeks shy of an entire year…

Honestly, I was surprised. I expected every day that I would die. That every time I went to sleep, I wouldn't see whenever I next woke up. Emir had kept me a prisoner no doubt for war, yet there never seemed to be any notion that a war had been started. Sebastian told me that, while sending proposals between Emir and Drake, there was incredible tension and rather obscene demands going back and forth, but never a declaration for war. My only guess was that Emir was waiting for Drake to make the first move, take the first step, and blame Egypt for the violence and chaos of battle. But I knew Drake… he wouldn't allow it.

Gods, Drake… I prayed every day that he was alright. That he was holding on for me just I was for him. The last time Sebastian delivered a proposal to him, he told me that Drake seemed thinner than normal, and very tired-looking. When he told me, it felt as if there was a hole punched through my stomach. Was Drake unwell? Was he struggling to fight? Gods, I hoped not.

I looked up at the tally marks again, shivering as a chill coursed its way down my spine. I hadn't done much other than make these marks. I'd been so terribly ill for the last several weeks and had too little strength to do much else. Sebastian took care of me as best as he could, but Emir cut off his source of supplies something that felt like ages ago, but it had probably only been maybe… a month? Unfortunately, I wasn't Sebastian's only priority, he had dozens of other patients between prisoners and guards. He had to make what he still had last for everyone, and a good number of prisoners were in far worse conditions than I was.

Naturally, the supplies ran low, almost out entirely. Sebastian told me that many of the other prisoners had died, others—like me—got sicker, and only a few healed. I'd never seen him so stressed and distraught before. He cared for these people like they were his own children; most of them were younger than Drake…

He tried to tell me, even with his lack of supplies, that I was getting better. Despite the symptoms and my fluctuating temperature, he strongly believed that I would be alright… but I wasn't so sure. I'd been sleeping so much more, but I never felt rested. My fever would spike and drop and spike and drop but it wouldn't break. Chills and shakes wracked my body yet I always felt like I was burning. It didn't even feel like an illness, it felt more like some kind of disease, and whenever I dreamt I could see it growing and spreading like an infection…

I wanted to believe Sebastian, I really did… But I couldn't. I didn't have the strength to fight anyone or anything, and it was becoming harder and harder to stomach what little food I was given. Regardless of my condition, Derek and his so-called friends still found pleasure in taunting and beating me almost every single day. I was certain that I had a few broken bones, but there was so much fatigue and pain from my sickness that I couldn't focus on the pain that lingered in my sides.

Tears blurred my vision and I curled in on myself a little more. I could handle the beatings, but it was the words that they would spit at me that hurt the most. They degraded me, belittled me, told me I would never be loved or cared for again by anyone. That I would die and rot here in Persia, clinging onto the desperate hope that I would be saved…

I couldn't believe that, though. I couldn't. I promised Drake I would fight for him, and he promised the same for me. I had to honor what I told him. I couldn't give up on anything. But… I couldn't deny… the soldiers' comments hurt. And they hurt a lot. The things they said about Drake, and the life that I had been taken from… the things they said about _me_. I mean, at least they had the decency to say it to my face, but I always wished they'd say it to my back. Because then they wouldn't have to sneer and laugh at me…

Shuddering softly, I curled up tighter, wrapping my arms around my waist. Sometimes they would tell me that I wouldn't be saved. That no one was coming for me because no one cared. They'd tell me that my husband didn't care, that he was probably happier without me now that he had power over my country…

"Wakey, wakey, Pharaoh…" There was a sudden clanking sound, like something hard rattling against the iron bars of my cell. My entire body tensed and I stared hard at the wall, though I did my best to remain as still as I possibly could. I didn't have to turn and look. I didn't have to see that it was Derek. I'd heard that voice so many times, feared it even in what little dreams I'd had… I knew I would hear it for the rest of my life, if I ever escaped this place.

"I said wakey, wakey, you old shit," Derek sneered again, clanging whatever it was he had against the bars. I stayed still. Gods, I willed myself to be like stone. But the beatings and the torture had done little good, and my shoulder twitched from the tension, and Derek just laughed behind me as the jingle of keys sounded.

Derek unlocked the door behind me and I curled tighter into a ball, wrapping my arms around my legs. Probably not the smartest idea, really, to be curled so tightly and yet be so exposed, but it was the only thing I could think to do. Derek's footsteps came closer after he'd slammed the door shut, and I felt my heart begin to race.

"Come now, Pharaoh… Answer me…" Derek snarled again, his boots falling hard against the stone floor of my cell. I didn't answer. I didn't turn. I didn't acknowledge him in the slightest fashion. I couldn't. I was terrified. "Now, you wouldn't want to disappoint me since you've been _so_ good…"

My throat closed up. Flashes of images pervaded my mind and I whimpered softly at the ideas of torture, whippings and fierce beatings… Derek was the worst of any soldier who had a fascination for hurting me. While he was not always the smartest of people, he was very intelligent with his word choice. And he had an expansive knowledge in pain.

Slowly, I sat up, turning a little to face him. Derek's eyes were a raging, piercing jade color, like a swirling swamp in the midst of a horrendous storm, and the smirk that was plastered on his face sent chills down my spine. I curled away from him, pressing close to the wall. It was horrible, really. When I had been first brought here, this cot was almost too small for me, too narrow. Now I could curl up on it and only take half the space…

Derek snarled like a vicious dog when I cowered in front of him, and as he tightened his grip around it I realized he was holding a thick, metal rod thing in his hands. It was about two feet long, rounded on the ends with a leather-wrapped handle on one end. Looking at it made me feel sick, and while I only remembered it as one of the favorite items for my abuse, something about it was… disgustingly familiar.

"So good… yet still so disappointing.. Why do you disappoint me, Pharaoh?" Derek growled, bouncing the metal rod in his hands a little. My eyes followed the path of the rod, watching it swing rough the air before smacking down into his open palm. I kept seeing, almost feeling, it crash down against my own pale and bruised flesh, and I flinched as he neared me.

Before I could even realize it, Derek had tucked the end of the rod under my chin, raising my head, forcing me to look at him. His eyes burned into mine, "I asked you a question, slut. Dare to make me repeat myself?" I whimpered softly, shaking as I glanced down at the gleaming metal rod. Smeared some on the side was a light, reddish stain that reeked of the ever hauntingly familiar stench of blood, and I felt my stomach twist and clench.

Oh, Gods… he raped me with it… Derek raped me with this rod and he never fucking bothered to clean it…

Nausea overwhelmed me and I turned away, dry heaving and vomiting bile over the side of the cot. Derek laughed as I heaved what little contents I had inside of my stomach. Tears brimmed in my eyes as my throat throbbed with pain. Trembling, I curled away from Derek, tucking myself into the corner as best I could while Derek continued to laugh at me.

"What's the matter, Pharaoh? Sickened by your own repulsive essence?" Derek hissed, rubbing the end of the rod against my cheek. Instinctively, I moved away from it before reaching up, shoving it from my face. I realized too late the mistake I'd made, for a moment after Derek brought the rod with terrible force down from the top-front of my head to just above my left eye. I howled as I went down, tumbling off of the cot and onto the floor. Derek towered over me as I held a palm over my forehead. I could feel blood pulsing between my fingers as pain wracked between my eyes.

"I hope you understand the gravity of your error, Pharaoh," Derek growled, fumbling with something that was attached to his hip. "You've forced me to return to my methods from your earlier lessons…"

My eyes widened, which was a mistake as blood ran into one of them, and I felt the air dissipate from my chest. My "lessons" were really just long, torturous hours of beatings and insults, but the first several of them involved a whip. I glanced up at Derek, watching as he chook his long, braided leather whip out, and I noticed that the tip was a thick leather knot, sealed with some kind of hard, plastic coating.

"No," I whimpered, backing into the cot. "N-no, please!"

Derek scowled at me, "Not another word out of you, Pharaoh, or I will cut up that haggard face of yours…" Derek stepped back, giving himself more room as he continued to shake the whip. The tip scraped against the stone floor, and I trembled as I curled into a ball. He tested the whip into the open air, and I flinched at the sound. He turned toward me, his eyes gleaming in the faint light. I whimpered as Derek reared back, tightening hi grip on the whip. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting breathlessly.

The crack rung through my ears and along my bones as the boiling pain surfaced and blazed in my leg. I screamed, clutching the welt that was already beginning to form as Derek cracked the whip again. The plastic-capped tip sliced across my forearm, cutting so deep that blood gushed almost instantly. Tears welled so thick in my eyes that I couldn't see a damn thing, but I refused to let them fall, even as Derek sent the whip crashing against my skin over and over and over, cutting into my arms and legs and leaving welts when the blows weren't so hard.

I thought it wouldn't end. I was afraid it wouldn't end. And as he whipped me, I felt myself floating back and forth between being present and in pain to being in a dark, warm, safe place. A place where there were diluted senses of pain, but nothing that was agonizing. A place where I was free, comfortable and alone.. A place where there was no Derek. And every time I'd start to submerge myself into the warm, watery darkness of this place, Derek's whip would sting over an open wound or on a welt, or would dig into a sensitive spot like my neck or my hands, and I would snap back into reality.

"Stop!" I howled without meaning to, raising a hand as he whipped me again, the tip slicing into my palm. I choked on a cry, pain sealing my throat shut, making it impossible to breathe. Tears brimmed and threatened to fall, but did not. I focused, visualizing a large, warehouse-sized metal door coming down on the rivers that would have been my tears, and slammed it shut, locking it tight. I couldn't let them go.

The whipping ceased for a brief moment, and I could hear Derek's soft panting. For being a guard, his stamina was pathetic. I trembled, pain buzzing around my entire body and ringing in my head as I looked up at Derek. His eyes glowed with malice and hatred as sweat and blood dripped down my arms, legs and neck. The blood from the wound on my forehead had dried against my skin and hair.

"Did I say you could speak, slut?" Derek snarled, clenching the whip tightly in his hand before letting it drop to the floor. I whimpered softly, trying to back away from him only to trap myself in the corner beside my cot. Derek's hand lashed out, fisting itself into my hair before pulling as hard as he could. I cried out. "Look at you… you're pathetic. A waste. You're _nothing_!" He pulled me out to the middle of the floor, leaving me to slump and whine in pain.

"Do you honestly still believe you're going to get out of here? That your precious fuck toy of a husband is _really_ going to save you?" He leaned in, pressing his lips to my ear, hissing so low and so much like some kind of a damn snake that I trembled. "Guess again, old man."

I couldn't look at him. I couldn't even move. His fingers were digging into my scalp and my body was trembling from all the pain it was in, but I couldn't even really feel it. There was so much that my body was trying to feel and trying to block out that I was trembling, but I felt numb. Utterly numb…

"No one wants you, Pharaoh… Not your family. Not your friends. Not your country. Not even your _lover, _if he can even be called such… No one cares about you. And even if you do get out of here, by some act of compassion, your lover will take one look at you—one pained, horrified look—and he will realize the time and energy he wasted on you. You are dirt. Shit. You're shit, Pharaoh. Broken and helpless and he's _never_ going to love _you_…"

I squeezed my eyes shut again, forcing the tears back. I couldn't cry. I wouldn't cry. Not because of Derek… Not because of his words. But the more he said, the more he talked about how Drake wouldn't love me anymore the second he realized how… hopeless I was… I felt my heart clench within me and I wondered… Did Drake… would he really…? No… I couldn't. I couldn't think like that. I loved Drake, and Drake loved me. He was fighting for me, and I for him. We promised each other! We promised! I… I needed him. I needed him…

"Now… scream for me, and maybe I'll be nice…" Derek said, digging his nails into my scalp. I winced, whining softly, but I didn't scream. I refused to scream. I couldn't give him the satisfaction of it any more.

"Scream, slut!" Derek shouted, shoving me down to the floor as hard as he could. My head slammed into the stone and stars blurred over my vision, but I didn't scream. A guttural groan erupted from my chest as dizziness throbbed. I heard the scrape of metal against stone before feeling his trusty tool of choice beating down on my shoulders. I cried out, but I did not scream.

"Pathetic!" Derek howled, and I groaned, shakily curling away from him.

"I-if I'm broken… why do you keep beating me?" I snarled at him, glaring at him as I trembled. Derek's eyes narrowed as he hit me with the rod again. The end caught my lip and split it open, and I tasted blood as it filled my mouth.

"I didn't say you could speak. But, fine, if you wanna play that way.. we'll play." I glanced up, watching as Derek tossed the rod away before… oh, Gods… Derek fumbled with his uniform trousers, pulling them open, and my heart plummeted. Before I could even think or hope to get away from him, Derek knelt down and hovered over me, pinning my wrists above my head before tearing at my own ratty and filthy trousers.

"Gods, no, please… Don't… please, stop…" I begged, pushing at him with my knees. Derek didn't speak, he didn't even look at me, but he slapped me across the face, sending pain through my jaw and my cheek before tugging my pants off entirely. I whimpered, pushing at him again. "Please, don't do this…"

"Why shouldn't I, huh?" Derek snarled. I bit my lip, staring at him.

"It won't give you anything… _I_ won't give you anything…" I told him, shaking under his hold.

"Won't it?" Derek smirked. "You're holding onto the hope that your precious husband is going to hold you and make everything better…" He shifted, pressing himself to my entrance and I gasped, the tears welling again almost immediately. How had he already pulled himself free? "He won't even want to _look_ at you when I'm through with you…"

I tried to push him away. I tried to keep him from entering me, but in my position and with how weak I was, I couldn't stop him. Derek forced himself into me. He forced me to take him and he tore me open as he did it. I cried out and the tears flowed before I could hold them back. Part of me hoped that he'd be gentle… or that he'd go slow… or something, anything that warranted some shred of compassion…

But there was nothing. Nothing but pain and agony. Derek's thrusts were hard, deep and sadistic. At one point he grabbed hold of my throat and squeezed, forcing me to choke and gasp for air as he fucked me… no… he didn't fuck me. He raped me. He held me down, strangled and raped me. He aimed deeper, going harder each time until he nailed that spot. And no matter how painful it was each time, there was the tiniest shred of pleasure that spiked within me, and each time it flared I felt sick to my stomach. I felt disgusting.

It was both a relief and a curse when Derek came. Any time Drake and I made love, and he came inside of me, I felt complete. I felt whole and happy, like the last piece of the puzzle was fitting into place and I felt… so happy. But when Derek came… I felt rotten. Disgusting. Like a slutty abomination that didn't deserve to breathe the same putrid air as the rest of civilization…

I was out of it. I'd holed myself up and hidden away in my safe, warm place as he raped me. I was aware of his presence invading me and violating my very being, but I couldn't even see him. It was dark and warm and it didn't matter if I could breathe or if I died. I was safe here. I was alone, where no one could bother me or hurt me. But there was one thought. One plea that floated around me in this safe haven of mine…

Why couldn't he have just killed me?


	33. Life's a Gamble, Roll the Dice

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Life's a Gamble, Roll the Dice  
>Drake's POV<strong>

"Go to bed, Drake, we'll talk about this in the morning," Tommy whispered to me, walking with me to go to my bedroom. "I'll give you an hour or two to get cleaned up and relax and then I'll come back to spend the night with you." No one wanted to let me sleep alone because I almost jumped off of the balcony that was off of my bedroom. I constantly insisted that I didn't need anyone to stay with me but deep down I was terrified of what I would do to myself.

"All right, Tommy, thanks," I mumbled, going into my room and shutting the door before Tommy ever had a chance to reply. During our last meeting concerning what we were going to do to help Adam, it because very clear to me that I was the only one who cared about saving him. Sure, the others missed him, but they all seemed so willing to say it was too dangerous to try and save him. If I didn't control myself, I might have punched Alex in the face for how he was acting and I realized that if I was going to save Adam, I needed to do it alone. I didn't have a choice.

I would _not_ let Adam rot away in that filthy cell if there was something I could do about it.

For months and months, almost a full year now, I had done absolutely nothing to help my lover. Meaningless and time-consuming proposals were sent to and from Persia but they never settled anything. Emir wanted my throne and I wanted Adam back. He wasn't willing to return Adam to me and I wasn't willing to turn over my kingdom—The kingdom Adam and his father worked so hard to build up—over to a ruthless dictator. As much as I wanted Adam home, having him back would mean nothing if we were all enslaved by Emir anyway. Yes, we would be together, but Adam would never forgive me for throwing Egypt to the wolves. I would never forgive myself and I would never allow it to happen. Plus, I didn't really believe that Emir would release Adam if I actually did agree to give him my throne.

After Sebastian's letter, I didn't really feel I had many options left. I could give up my throne and hope that Emir would hold up to his word and release Adam, but that definitely wasn't going to happen. I absolutely could not sit around the palace and wait for my husband to die because if he died like this, I would die with him. My dream from a few nights ago confirmed that. If I lost Adam like this, I would never be able to live with myself. I would never be able to live with the guilt that I failed him. I promised I would fight for him, I promised I would save him and so far I had done nothing.

Well that was over now. Now I knew that I had to do something that involved more than me just sitting around on my ass and waiting for things to magically get better. I needed to go and get Adam back myself. I had to go to Persia and I had to end this once and for all. I knew exactly how I would handle it, but if I told anyone my plans, they would think I was crazy and they would never let me do it.

So instead of sharing my ideas with anything, I decided not to tell anyone. I went to my vanity and set my sketchbook down to a blank page. I couldn't tell anyone that I was going to leave because they would stop me. No, I had to make sure I was too far gone before they found out, which means I had to work fast because I only had a few hours to myself before people started coming to check on me and try to sleep with me.

Pharaoh came over to sit on the vanity, watching me as I wrote. He always looked worried but proud at the same time. It sounded so stupid, because Pharaoh was a cat, but he made me feel like I was making the right decision. I put my left hand on the back of his neck to feel him purring as I wrote a short, very brief letter for whoever was the next person to come in here.

_I'm sorry, but after everything that has happened, I feel like I don't have any choice but to go to Persia. It's the only conclusion I can come to. I have to do whatever I can to save Adam but no one really seems to understand that. With all of that being said, I am going to travel to Persia, alone, and I'm going to do everything in my power to end this and bring Adam home._

_While I am gone, I am leaving Cassidy in charge. Cassidy, you're Adam's oldest friend and the wisest man I've ever known. You're the only person I trust to leave the kingdom with._

_I will get in contact with you all as often as possible, but I have to do this and I understand how you all feel about this. It's dangerous. Yes, it is, but I have to do this. I don't want to put anyone else in danger and no one seems to really be willing to do this with me. I won't force anyone, in fact, I'm happy to go alone._

_Don't worry about me I'll be fine._

_Drake~_

It was short and to the point because that was all I had time for. I couldn't spend hours and hours writing this heartfelt letter because I didn't have that kind of time. I really wasn't even promised any alone time for a significant amount of time, so once the note was done, I set the pen down and stood up, petting Pharaoh once and I leaned over to kiss his little head. "I need you to stay here and wait for me to come home, okay, Pharaoh? I know that you, at least, believe me." Pharaoh meowed and butt his head up against my chin, purring like a chainsaw. I couldn't help but smile. Yes, I was scared, terrified really, but I couldn't dwell on it, I had to do this, and Pharaoh believed in me. "Thank you, Pharaoh, I love you."

Pharaoh meowed, as if returning my love and I smiled even more but I couldn't just stand there and talk to a cat all night. I had to be gone before Tommy came back. I had to sneak out of my own fucking palace.

Without a second though, I immediately stripped my clothes and went into the very bottom of my wardrobe, where I kept clothes for traveling and such. First I tugged on a tight pair of black pants that hugged my frame tightly, followed by a thin black sweater with a rolled down turtleneck. It was long enough to flip up and cover my mouth and nose if needed, but for the time being, I left it rolled down around my neck. I latched a belt around my waist and pulled on a black jacket that would keep me warm as night but could be removed during the day. Lastly, I tied my hair up into a lopsided ponytail like I always did when I was younger. My hair was always long enough to do the old ponytail, but most of the time I left it down.

Lastly, I went to my bed and pulled up a few pillows, revealing two handguns. I never had a real reason to use them before, but after Adam was kidnapped, everyone was worried about me as well. I felt more comfortable knowing that I had some sort of protection when I was alone, but until now I didn't really ever touch the guns once I hid them. I stuffed the guns into the back of my belt, hiding them under my sweater and jacket.

I didn't pack too much, just some jewels, a few bits of food a blanket and some extra ammo for my guns. I didn't want to carry too much, but I needed to make sure I had enough to actually live through the trip I was about to take. I would ride out on a motorcycle… and I would demand so see Emir. If necessary, I would kill that son of a bitch for all of the wrong doings he had committed and I would take control of Persia until a suitable leader could be found. Persia couldn't continue to be ruled by a dictator and I was almost positive that if Emir had turned up dead, no one would miss him, except maybe for his bastard guards.

Whatever was going to happen, I was going to get Adam back and we were going to come home. The bottom line was I would accomplish all of this or I would literally die.

With my bag slung over my shoulder and my feet shoved into boots that I had to tuck my trousers into, I left my room. It was late; most of the servants and other workers had gone to bed. I was really only worried about running into one of my advisers or someone who would forcibly keep me from leaving.

Thankfully I got to the throne room without running into a single soul. Perhaps it was later than I first believed, but I wasn't really complaining. I just needed to get down the front steps and get to the bike's storage room.

When I was half way down the steps, I thought I was home free, but then I heard the one thing that I never wanted to hear. "DRAKE!" someone shouted from the top of the stairs. I was sure it was Cassidy, but I didn't turn to look at him. Instead, I bolted down the second half of the staircase, only taking the time to be careful because I was afraid of literally tripping and falling to my death. I could hear the scrape of my boots against the stones, but I could hear Cassidy following me down the staircase as well. "Drake, stop right now, please!" Cassidy shouted just as my feet hit level ground. I was practically ready to sprint to the garage where all of the motorcycles were located and I did so. I was half way there when Cassidy grabbed ahold of my arm, pulling me to a stop.

"Let go of me, Cassidy!" I shouted at him, struggling to pull my arm away from his tight grip but he was determined not to let go of me. He looped his other arm around my waist, pulling me tight to his body.

"No, Drake, Tommy found your note and we are not letting you go to Persia by yourself!" Cassidy practically screamed at me. I fought to get out of his hold, but he was reluctant to let go of me and he eventually managed to wrestle me to the ground.

"Cassidy, get off! I have to go, I have to save Adam!" I shouted but Cassidy's eyes were hard and determined. He wasn't going to let go of me, not anytime soon.

"Not by yourself Drake! We'll go, but you are NOT going by yourself," Cassidy shouted at me, holding me down. "Drake, please understand why I can't let you go alone. You are far too precious to everyone here and to Egypt to let you run off by yourself."

"I have to go…"

"Not alone," Cassidy repeated. "I know you're serious about this. We will organize a trip tomorrow. I am not going to allow you to leave by yourself though."


	34. I'm So Far Down, Away From The Sun

**Chapter Thirty-Three: I'm So Far Down, Away From The Sun**

**Tommy's POV**

I had been sitting in silence on Drake's bed as Cassidy brought the young Pharaoh back to the room. Drake's cat had decided to curl up beside me, purring like a machine as Drake sauntered inside, tossing his bag onto the floor. Cassidy loomed in the doorway, watching Drake as he dressed down into one of Adam's long, thick robes.

Drake didn't say anything. For that matter, neither did I or Cassidy. I stared at Pharaoh, petting behind his ears a Cassidy continued to stare at Drake. Drake gazed upon his own reflection at the vanity, lips pursed and pulled down into a small frown. It was awkward and tense between the three of us, and I couldn't blame either of them. Drake wanted to leave, to save Adam, even if that meant going alone and risking his own life… and I stopped him.

Cassidy sighed softly, dropping his arms from across his chest, "Try to get some sleep. We're leaving at dawn." Before I could ask what he meant, Cassidy left the room, leaving me in silence with Drake.

I turned towards Drake, frowning deeply. "Dawn? Drake, what is he talking about?" I asked, but Drake didn't answer me at first. He just stared at the mirror, seeming to refuse to say a single word. "Drake…" I continued. "What does he mean "we're leaving"?" Drake sighed.

"Cassidy and I are going to Persia tomorrow morning, to save Adam." Drake finally uttered, his voice pained and withdrawn. My eyes widened and my body went rigid. After reading his letter not a half an hour ago, I'd been so scared that he would do something reckless. And while going with someone was better than going alone, it was still suicide…

"I'm going with you."

"No. I need you to stay—" Drake began, but my lips and tongue cut him off before my brain could catch up and stop myself.

"Stay and do what? Pray you'll come home? Pray you'll be alright? I've done a year's worth of that for Adam, I won't do it for you if I can avoid it!"

Drake's eyes locked on mine, hard, through the mirror, anger and grief boiling through them. And, for a moment I wondered if they were glowing in the dim light of the moon and lamp on his vanity, but then I realized that wasn't the case, because he was crying instead.

My heart dropped to my stomach and I hurried over to Drake, watching as the young king dropped his head into his hands, his shoulders trembling something fierce as I pulled him into my arms. "Shh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry… I didn't mean it like that, baby…"

"Oh, yes, you did!" Drake hissed, pushing me away. I frowned, staring hard at him. "You didn't want me to go, just like Alex didn't, and Cassidy didn't! None of you want me to do the right thing and _save my husband_!"

"Drake…" I said, sighing softly. "Are you sure? I mean, is this—"

"Is this, what? Truly, the right thing? Is it truly the right thing to go and save the love of my life, or should I let him rot and _die_ in Persia, leaving him with the idea that I never cared?" Drake's eyes were flooding with tears and I felt my heart twice in a vice-like grip.

"You do care, though. More than anyone…"

"Oh, believe me, I know," he hissed, standing and going down to his bed. "The rest of you only care enough to make sure I rule Egypt, but you'll gladly let Adam die in some filthy prison! Well, I can't let that happen!"

"That's not true!"

"Then what is? What am I supposed to think with all of you degrading me and my ideas? I can't let him die. I _won't_ let him die! Or have you forgotten that without him I am nothing?" I froze, looking away from Drake. The anguish was so heavy in his face that it was painful to look into his eyes.

"I want him home, too, Drake…"

"Then why did you stop me? Why did you tell Cassidy to go after me? I can take care of myself. I know self-defense and combat, how to handle weapons and drive a motorcycle. I know how to conceal myself and be inconspicuous. If I go alone, none of you will be in danger. You can keep Egypt running and I can get my husband back…" Drake's eyes pierced through me, but I couldn't meet his gaze. I knew if I tried, I would fall to pieces.

"What if you get hurt? What if you… don't come back? What do we do then? What will Adam do?" I asked, staring at my hands. I couldn't begin to fathom the turmoil Drake must have been suffering. But I knew he needed to go. I just couldn't let him go alone.

"Then the Gods can send me to damnation early for not saving Adam sooner. I just hope they grant him eternal happiness in the After… he deserves it." Drake's voice cut through me like a knife and I lifted my head to look upon him. His hair hung in thick curtains around his face, tears continuing to stream. I didn't want to believe that he'd just said something like that and meant it, but I couldn't deny it. There was no jest in his expression. He truly felt like a man whose only reward from life was perdition.

"Drake, don't say that…" I began, but Drake shook his head, keeping his gaze down.

"It's true. Don't try to convince me otherwise, I know it is. I don't need lies to make me think otherwise."

"Drake, you're not a bad person!" I cried. He lifted his head and I felt my soul quiver when our eyes met. "You did what you thought was best. Best for the country, best for Adam. And now you're taking the next step…"

"I should have taken it sooner."

"You were scared…"

"I'm still scared! I'm terrified, honestly! But what about Adam? He's been battling for his very existence for so long now! And I've been here in this forsaken palace, cozy and well-fed! I deserve damnation because I don't deserve Adam! Not after all that I've done to him!"

I kept my gaze on Drake for a long while, unable to look away from the young king. His hard blue eyes swam with a million emotions, all fighting to take control before overwhelming grief made him shudder. I stood slowly, crossing down to the bed before sitting upon it.

"Drake…" I murmured, wrapping my arms around him. "Drake, Adam loves you. He loves you and he needs you more than anything else in this world. You can't give up on him, no matter what…" I told him. Drake trembled in my arms, wiping his tears away from his cheeks.

"Are you kidding? He's not going to want my love or comfort. I've let him down by staying here while he was tortured and ridiculed and _Gods_ know what else for _Gods_ know how long. I let dogs take him and use him as their chew toy!"

I sighed, pressing a kiss to his temple. I wasn't sure what to say anymore. Drake was an individual who, once he got an idea into his head, he was determined to follow through or feel a specific way. Sometimes this was a positive thing, sometimes, like now, it was negative. He was so much like Adam in that respect…

"We're going to bring him home," I said after a moment. "We're going to save him, and everything will be fine, Drake. I promise."

Drake scoffed. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Thomas. You only end up hurting everyone by giving them false hope."

"I know you, Drake. You won't stop until he's home. You won't rest until Emir has paid the price for doing this to Adam, and to you. And no matter how much you belittle yourself and say he won't love you, you know he does. You know he still loves and needs you, that he's still holding on. For you. Because if he wasn't, if he didn't… You would have given up a long time ago."

Drake was still, his eyes unfocused. I'd come to learn that Drake's reserved expressions truly meant that he was thinking. Analyzing, plotting, scheming, re-wording sentences and planning strategies. I'd seen the folder of maps, notes and journals that Drake had collected over the past several months. Each piece contained information from meetings and proposals. Drake might have hated his job, but he was a sure fire natural at it.

I tightened my arms around Drake, holding him close and warm. The young king sighed heavily, leaning into me. Drake's body began to relax and I knew he was tired, so I helped him lay down, tucking him into bed. He didn't protest or say a word, he just let me, resting his head on one of the thick pillows that Adam used to sleep on.

"I'll leave if you want me to," I offered. "Just… please don't run off again."

"I won't, I won't," he said with another heavy sigh. "And… you can stay if you want to. I don't mind."

I smiled softly, slipping under the blankets, cuddling close to him. Drake turned to face me, wrapping his arms around himself as he tucked his face into my neck, purring softly. A moment later Pharaoh stretched and made his way over to us, snuggling on the pillow above Drake's head, his nose pressed into Drake's hair. I smiled more, leaving another kiss on Drake's temple.

"Goodnight, baby," I whispered, my voice soft and lower than it normally was. I was tired, but not as tired as Drake. This was obvious, for he said to me…

"Night, Adam…" There was no doubt that he was already half-dreaming. I glanced down at him, watching his face in the near dark, the only glow of light coming from the moon outside. But, for the first time in a long while… I saw Drake smile.


	35. Headstrong To Take On Anyone

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Headstrong To Take On Anyone  
>Alex's POV<strong>

"Tommy, I know you want to go, I really do, but we can't bring you. We can't start brining a bunch of people. The small group we have is already too big for Drake's liking and we're already going to have a hard time slipping into Persia," I explained, shoving a few last minute pieces of clothing into my travel sack. I wasn't really packing much… Just enough clothing to get me through for a week, some food and some jewels to look regal once we got to Persia. We had to maintain our appearances of royalty and people to be respected in front of King Emir, or we would be seriously disgraced and mocked.

I was dressed rather simply, black trousers, a loose fitting shirt and a jacket. I didn't look, by any means, all badass like Drake probably would. Speaking of Drake, he wasn't happy about this at all. He was determined to leave by himself last night and he was extremely displeased that Tommy sent Cassidy out after him. Drake hadn't said anything to me or anyone else since Tommy had left his room and I doubted he would talk much once we actually got going. He was pissed and I couldn't really blame him, but at the same time, it was hard to deal with someone who was so thick headed. He wouldn't listen to reason and suddenly no one could get through to him. He was determined to go to Persia, with or without help. If you asked me, he was being irrational and a bit of a supreme idiot.

No one seemed to want to listen to me though, and as long as Drake was Pharaoh, as long as he held the crown, no one would listen to me if he spoke up for himself. I was coming off as mean and cruel hearted. Whenever I opened my mouth to disagree when Drake said he wanted to go to Persia, I was making myself look like the bad guy. It really wasn't like I wanted Adam to rot in Persia because I really didn't want that. Adam was my former lover and one of the best friends that I have ever had in my life. I wanted to see him return home safely but I didn't really see that as a real possibility anymore.

Sometimes I felt like I was the only one being rational about this decision to go to Persia. Riding up to King Emir's palace like it was no big deal and like we were on great terms was likely to be a suicide mission. We could be shot on the spot by Emir's guards or we could be taken into custody and thrown in their dungeons alongside Adam. If Drake really was captured and put in prison, he would probably become the guards favorite play toy because he was young; he was strong enough to take some pretty severe abuse and he was absolutely stunning. Any Persian guard would just bend him over and force him to take it like he was their bitch. They would probably even go as far as making the rest of us watch, or doing the same to us, but Drake would definitely become their favorite. I saw the way those guards, one in particular, looked at Drake when they came with the messengers to deliver proposals.

"I really don't want you to go without me. I want to be able to keep you safe and know that you're safe all the time, Alex!" Tommy cried. After almost watching his best friend and former lover nearly commit suicide, and then finding the note that said he was going to Persia alone, Tommy had been really on edge. He was absolutely terrified that we wouldn't come back or some of us would come back but the others would be dead.

"Tommy…" I sighed, closing up my bag before setting it down. I went to him, taking his hands in my own. "Darling, please don't be so upset… I promise that I'm going to be okay. We're all going to be okay. We'll be back as soon as we possibly can, okay? Don't worry so much," I said, dropping one of his hands to cup his cheek.

"Telling me not to worry is like telling me not to breathe, Alex. How am I supposed to not worry about you traveling hundreds and hundreds of miles on a motorcycle and barging into Persia?" he asked. There were tears in his eyes, but he wouldn't let them fall. I wished I could have stayed with Tommy but since I was Drake's adviser it was my duty to make sure that he was all right. I couldn't leave that burden on Cassidy alone, that wasn't fair, especially since he was leaving his own lover too.

"I know baby, but try not to worry too much, okay? You know I love you… So much, and I will be back soon," I said softly and l leaned over, kissing him gently but lovingly on the lips. "I promise, we'll all be fine."

"Don't make promises you can't keep…" Tommy muttered, one tear slipping down his cheek. I bit the inside of my cheek, wiping it away with my thumb.

"Don't talk like that, baby…" I whispered softly against his lips and pressed another gentle kiss to those plump, girly lips. "I'll be home soon. For now, keep everyone safe, okay? They're all going to need some comfort and there is no one better for that than you."

Tommy smiled but it was clearly forced and he kissed me gently one more time. "I will… and you be safe too. I know you don't agree with Drake, but you know that he has to do this. He thinks he deserves damnation for not going to find Adam sooner and there's just no way around it… I know you think he's being irrational and overly emotional. I don't think you're being unfair to think that this is a bad idea, but try not to fight with him too much. Try not to get him too upset and please keep him safe, alright? I know you two are in a bit of a tiff, but he's one of your best friends and you both love each other."

"I'll keep him safe, darling," I said, slowly pulling myself away from Tommy. Truthfully, I didn't want to leave him. I didn't want to pull away because there was a very real possibility that I would never see him again… However, I couldn't let Drake go alone. Drake clearly wanted to go on his own, but we just couldn't do that… He couldn't go on his own. He was the Pharaoh of Egypt. He couldn't go off by himself because if something horrible happened to him, Egypt would have no leader at all and we would easily be invaded by Persia. However, there was no way we were going to talk him out of going, so we didn't have much of a choice but to go. Drake didn't see it that way. I knew why he was doing what he was doing, but part of me couldn't help but feel like he was being selfish. "I have to go now…" I whispered reluctantly, pulling my bag up and over my shoulder. Tommy stared at his hands and nodded, not really giving me any sort of decent response. "I love you…"

"I love you too, Alex," he finally whispered and with a heavy heart, I walked out of the room to go join Cassidy, Drake and the three guards we chose to take with us. By we, I meant Cassidy and I. Drake was dead set against taking anyone with him and the only reason he wasn't going alone was because we weren't giving him that option. Even if he left on his own, we would follow after him just to make sure that he had people to protect him and that he wasn't doing something incredibly stupid or destructive, or worse, both.

The small group met in the throne room but Cassidy was still with Hiei, off to the side. Hiei looked tired—well, more like extremely exhausted. His hair was tussled and messy, like he and Cassidy had spent all night making love. Honestly, it wouldn't have surprised me if he and Cassidy did spend the night having sex. Cassidy realized the risks we were taking and if we did die, then last night was truly the last night.

I didn't want to think about it…

The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon and I could see the few stray sunrays peaking out, setting Drake's red hair aflame. He was sitting at the top of the massive staircase leading from the bazaar to the palace throne room, dressed in tight black trousers, leather boots and a leather jacket with the collar popped up. He had a bag sitting next to him and his elbows rested on his knees with his hands folded under his chin. He looked like he was just examining Egypt, trying to decide on something, or maybe that look was just determination…

"Please just be careful, Cass," Hiei said and I turned my attention back to them. Cassidy was just a little older than me and Hiei just a little younger than Tommy, but they were a perfect match for one another. Hiei's arms were wrapped tight around Cassidy's neck and he pressed his tiny form to the taller man's. Cass had his arms around Hiei, resting in the small of his back.

"I'll be careful, darling. We're all going to be fine, don't worry so much…" he said quietly and he kissed his lover gently. It was very much the same scene I just had with Tommy, but when you were leaving your lover behind, what exactly where you supposed to do? All you could do was kiss and hug and make empty promises of being all right and coming home.

"I am worried, but I know you'll be fine… Because if you aren't fine or you die on me, I swear to the Gods, Cassidy, I will bring you back to life and beat the living After out of you until you die again," Hiei threatened, burying his face into Cassidy's neck. I could see the faint traces of a hickey on the other adviser's neck and I was sure they spent the entire night making love. Cassidy and Hiei, from the stories I'd heard, had a tendency to get a little kinkier than the average couple and a little rougher. After all, Hiei's bad boy side came out all the time and his threats to Cassidy just showed that.

Their love for one another was completely obvious though…

"If I break my promises, then you have every right to kill me twice, baby," Cassidy replied, bending down a little to kiss the shorter, younger boy on the lips. Hiei melted into the kiss and they looked like they belonged to one another, like they were two halves of matching best friend necklace charms. They kissed for a while and it got a little heavy and passionate, with Hiei's fingers tangled into Cassidy's hair, but eventually they broke the kiss, probably just because they needed to breath. "I'll be home in a couple of weeks," he repeated, kissing Hiei for just a second before he pulled himself away. "I'm sorry I have to leave, darling, but I really will be all right. Don't worry, okay?"

"I'll try…" Hiei whispered, wrapping his now empty arms around himself. There were tears in the boy's eyes, but they didn't let them fall, at least, not until Cassidy, the guards and myself joined Drake on the steps. He didn't let his tears fall until he thought that no one was looking, but I glanced back and so did Cassidy.

Drake was quiet the entire way down the steps, where there were six bikes set up. "You okay, Drake?" Cassidy asked but Drake just gave a gentle nod as a response, not even bothering to give us an actual answer.

I had a really bad feeling that this was going to be a very quiet and a very long trip.


	36. Stay Within You Forever

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Stay Within You Forever  
>Drake's POV<strong>

At dawn we began to ride. The sun was only half way up the horizon and we were already a good thirty miles out of the city. In retrospect, we had hardly made any distance, but the less of Egypt I saw in the rear view mirrors of my motorcycle, the happier I became. By no means was I happy to leave my country undefended, but I knew it was necessary. Adam needed me. I couldn't let him down anymore.

Wind whipped through my clothes and specks of sand tapped against the plastic shield of my helmet. I clenched the handle bars tightly, staring at the open road. In front of me were two guards, on either side of me were Alex and Cassidy, and behind us was a third guard, staying close. I tried to keep the guards from coming but Alex and Cass felt they were necessary. Sad as it was, I only saw them as potential victims of whatever Emir had planned. More lives on my conscious.

We rode for what felt like hours, but whenever I checked the time on the side panel of the bike, I'd realize we'd only been going for an hour, two at most. The sun wasn't high but it was hot and despite the cooling system in the helmet, I was sweating. The heat of the bike and the vibration of the engine was keeping my nerves on edge and a little too warm. But I couldn't stop. The farther we got, the better. It meant we were getting closer to Persia. Closer to Emir. Closer to Adam.

Adam never left my thoughts. Not even for moment. Sometimes I would space in the ride. I didn't have to worry much on hitting anything or anyone. There was at least a ten foot span between me, Cassidy, Alex, and the guards, and there was nothing but open desert all around. I couldn't help it. There was nothing to inspire thought in the barren nothingness, and even if I tried to find something to marvel, my mind would go back to Adam.

For a while I wondered what had become of Adam. I hadn't received another letter from either Adam or Sebastian since the last one stating that Adam was sick. Was he even still… alive? Had his condition worsened? I doubted it had improved. Sebastian's urgency was evident in his brief letter, and his mention of decreasing supplies had only added to my stress. But… part of me wanted to believe that, at least, someone would have told me in the event of Adam's passing, whether it was Sebastian…or even Emir.

Gods… Even now, I couldn't shake that dream. It haunted me each night, but Tommy had stayed with me for every sleep since then and I hadn't left my bed. Not with his presence there, anyway. It had been comforting, having another body beside me. Almost as comforting as Adam.

Almost… but not quite.

I pushed Adam out of my thoughts, blinking away tears behind the shield of my helmet. No one would have been able to see me cry, but I knew I couldn't be weak anymore. Adam needed me to be strong, and that meant I needed to toughen up and be as hard and as firm as I could be. Even if that meant expressing no emotion, I would do it. In a few days time, I would be facing the man responsible for my lover's misery. I couldn't show my grief at the absence, and unless necessary I couldn't show rage.

I thought about this morning, how I had been sitting on the steps of the entrance to the palace, looking over my beloved Egypt. Funny how after what seemed like so brief amount of time, it went from being the city I merely lived in to the city I owned. The city I ruled and cherished and provided for. Egypt was truly the most beautiful place in the world. At least, the most beautiful place I'd ever been. I hadn't been to many places, honestly. I'd lived in Egypt my entire life, but Adam took me to visit other countries, too. Libya, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia… even as far as England. Every place was beautiful, but Egypt just… glowed.

Yet no matter how beautiful it was, it couldn't block out Cassidy's goodbye to Hiei. It couldn't keep away how reminiscent it was to Alex's goodbye to Tommy. I didn't have to be present to that one to know what it might have been like. I had to fight the tears with my entire heart and soul and will, yet a few managed to escape. Whenever they did, though, I would just shut my eyes and pretend to concentrate or even pray.

Gods, I prayed. I prayed for everything to go well. I prayed for our survival. I prayed for Adam to be alive and for us to be able to save him and bring him home. I prayed for good fortune and luck. I prayed that we weren't too late… Most of all, I prayed for a chance of success. I wasn't naïve, I knew there were risks. I knew this was dangerous. I also knew it was necessary. There was no patience left in me for peace. Emir didn't want it. So why bother if he was only going to kill my husband more and more every day?

I tightened my grip on the handle bars of the bike, speeding up a little without meaning to. Cassidy, Alex, and the guards adjusted to the speed, but I noticed Cassidy turn a little to face me some, his hair and expression concealed by his helmet. I didn't return the look. I stared straight ahead, trembling lightly.

We rode on for another few hours, and when half-past noon came, we were forced to pull over for a quick meal and water. The heat was rolling in waves off of the sand and sweat dripped down my face and neck, but I didn't bother to wipe it away or worry about it. Sweat meant I was still hydrated. Sweat meant my body was working to keep me cool and alive.

I pulled my helmet off, my hair sticking to my skin and I gulped water from my jug. We'd each packed two large jugs of water, a sack of food, two tents for the six of us, blankets, clothes and jewels. It sounded like a lot, but looking at everyone and their bikes, I wondered if it was enough. Immediately, I pushed the thought away. No, we had enough. More than enough. More than what I'd preferred, but no one seemed to want to listen to me anymore. Quite aggravating to be the pharaoh of a country and your own advisers and guards won't listen to you. Gods, I was a horrible ruler.

I glanced over, wiping my upper lip of water and sweat. Cassidy and Alex looked tired but the more water they drank, the more they seemed ready to go. The guards—Darius, a Persian by blood but loyal Egyptian by birth, Nicholas, a young guard initially working to pay off a debt and ended up staying a guard, and Carter, a skilled fighter though barely twenty—were hydrated and stretching, getting ready to ride again.

I sighed softly, rubbing my chest before pausing for a moment. The heat was beating down hard on me and sweat slid down the back of my neck, but I couldn't move. Beneath my hand was a slight lump, a particular shape. A string of beads connected to an amulet, one that I had a servant acquire for me and had kept hidden.

A pendant of Adam's tattoo.

"Drake, are you alright?" Cassidy asked me. I dropped my hand, taking another drink before nodding once. I shoved the jug back into its place on my bike, pushing my hair out of my face. I was about to put m helmet back on when Cassidy grabbed hold of my arm. "Drake…"

"What?" I asked, sighing heavily.

"Please, stop ignoring me. Stop ignoring all of us."

"I'm not ignoring you."

"You've been silent since last night. Tommy said you didn't say a word after you woke up this morning." I looked away, staring out at the open desert. I had been quiet, but that was because the only person I had any interest in talking to was another good few hundred miles away, locked up in a dungeon.

"I'm not ignoring you," I said grimly. "I just have nothing to say."

Before Cassidy could say another word, I pushed my helmet down over my head, climbing onto my bike. He shook his head and went to his own bike, and in moments we were roaring off towards Persia again.

I felt bad, needless to say, about snapping at Cassidy the way I did. But my patience had run thin, and we were running out of time. Adam was in terrible danger, and the longer he was held captive in Persia, the more likely it became that we would fail. As much as I didn't want to believe the possibility, I had to be realistic all the same. This bullshit idea of peace had gone on for far too long. I wasn't going to lose Adam to my own stupidity.

So we rode, about another hundred miles. The sun was arcing across the broad sky, and the time on the side panel read three thirty. We were making good time, though I knew we would need to stop again soon. I hadn't eaten since the night before and even as I did my best to stave off the hunger, the nausea was creeping in.

We rode until five pm, the heat of the sun at the last legs of torture before we pulled over near a cluster of cacti and tumbleweeds. One would think that such things were only seen in Old Western literature and photos. But we pulled around behind them, our bikes neatly concealed by the height of the cacti and the brush of tumbleweeds. 

I killed the engine, watching the small screen between the handle bars flick off. Each of the bikes had one to be used as a mapping system. It kept us on track, and before it flicked off, it said we had another several hundred miles to go. 

Tugging off my helmet, I let it sit between the handle bars before unloading my bags and water. Darius, Nicholas and Carter were already setting up two small tents while Alex and Cassidy stood off to the side talking, no doubt, about what would happen in Persia. 

But I was more focused on the guards, "We're setting up?" I scowled, watching as the guards stopped in their work. 

It was Alex who spoke first, "Yes," he said, "we have to. We need food, water and rest." 

"We have another three, three and a half hours of daylight though. Why are we stopping?" I had no intentions of being rude, but I was tired of being away from Adam. 

Cassidy sighed, "Drake, we know you miss him—" had I said that out loud? "—we all miss him, but we have to be smart about this. If we go all day without food or rest, we won't have the energy to do it again tomorrow." 

I huffed softly, biting back a comment about our age and stamina difference. Cassidy motioned for the guards to keep setting up, though they seemed reluctant to do so. I turned away, watching the east. The sun was bright and the heat was easing off. We could cover so much more ground— 

"Drake," Cassidy's voice tickled my ear as his hand rested on my shoulder. "Please… I know this is hard and I know you want him back. We're on our way. We'll be there in a few days time." 

I fought tears but they were relentless, and a few slipped down my cheeks. "Adam might not have a few days, Cass..." 

"Honey…" Cassidy pulled me into his arms then. "Don't talk like that. We're going to make it. We're going to save him, I promise." 

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Cassidy…"

"Drake, everything will be fine. We're going to make it." 

"But what if—" 

"No, Drake. We're going to make it," Cassidy repeated. 

"Cassidy—" 

"Don't. Adam's fine. He's fighting for you." I whimpered. "He's fighting because he loves you and needs you. We're going to—" 

"What if he's dead?" I howled. I'd refrained from thinking it for so long that I couldn't take it anymore. Cassidy stated hard at me, tears in his eyes.

"You were the one who told us not to give up. You were the one who said we had to save Adam, that Adam was fine. That was you. You can't give up. You can't think that. You can't, Drake. You have to hold on, or we'll all fall apart." 

Cassidy pulled away, going to help the others set up as tears streamed my face. I had half a mind to hop on my bike and just leave. Just drive to Persia on my own. I couldn't wait and worry that I would lose Adam forever. But I knew I would never make it out of camp…

I brought a hand up and touched my chest, my palm cupped over the amulet. Closing my eyes, I prayed.


	37. In The End, It Doesn't Even Matter

**Chapter Thirty-Six: In the End, It Doesn't Even Matter  
>Eric's POV<strong>

"Momma…" I whispered, wrapping my arms around my mother. When she found out that Drake was going to Persia, she was a wreck. She already lost her youngest child, Anna, and now she was not only facing the possible loss of her son-in-law Adam, but her eldest son Drake as well. I knew my mother didn't love Drake more than she love the rest of her children, but Drake was a different case. He was her first born and the first child who gave her the title of mother and she was always going to think of Drake as her baby boy. Drake's situation was different because he wasn't our father's real son. My father hated Drake for that and Momma felt the need to protect him because he was always the victim of Father's rage.

She never completely got rid of the instinct to protect her eldest child, and I couldn't blame her. For most of his life, especially in his childhood, Drake was weak. I wasn't saying that to be mean or cruel towards my brother, it was just fact. Drake was physically weak and he was usually over-emotional. He got too upset over stupid things, and the only thing that made him strong was his drive and determination. He couldn't help the physical part; he was a small person. For someone his size, he was powerful but compared to average people he wasn't strong. The emotional aspect was just what had formed from his childhood. All of us had a hard childhood, but we were loved so much by both of our parents. Drake was always on the defensive and since he was also the oldest, there were unfair expectations that were placed on him.

His determination set him apart from the rest of us. Drake was the one child who wasn't really willing to settle for a second rate life. He was talented, and he was destined for something great but he rejected the idea of leaving because he felt like he needed to stay and take care of his family. He didn't leave until Adam's guards took him to pay our debts. Drake and I never got along as children. Drake was the oldest and he always struggled to make ends meet and make Father proud. I was my father's favorite and we always butted heads. Drake was jealous of me, I was jealous of Drake.

Our relationship hadn't really developed until that last few years. I was extremely worried about my brother now but a few years ago? I wasn't entirely sure that I would have cared if he didn't come back. I truly hated to admit that but we hadn't been good brothers before. It was mostly my fault. I never tried to be decent to him…

Right now, now that Drake was gone, I couldn't linger on him too long. I was scared, worried to death that he wasn't going to come home alive, but Momma was probably more terrified than the rest of us combined. Tommy and Hiei were both upset. It was understandable, Drake was their best friend and they were terrified. My little brothers and sister were just as terrified. Really, everyone in the palace thought they were going to lose both of their pharaohs and the entire country hung its head with a heavy sense of dread. I knew Drake was destined for something great, and now he carried the entire country of Egypt on his shoulders. I couldn't imagine how he did it, but it was like he was a puppeteer holding onto the heartstrings of every single person in the country.

"Momma, please, Drake's going to be okay… He's going to come home with Adam," I told her, although I was lying. I wasn't sure what would happen. Drake had the drive, he had the brains but he didn't have the strength and I was terrified that would be his downfall. I believed in my brother, but he was facing an entire country practically by himself. I wasn't convinced he could do it, although I wished I could have. Drake needed all the support he could get.

"I hope so, darling, but I'm just not sure I can believe it. I believe in my son, I trust him with all of my heart, but I don't trust the Persians. I don't know what they're capable of," she whispered into my shoulder. Her tears were soaking my shirt, but she was my mother and she was upset. I couldn't be angry with her; I could only hold her and give her hope that her baby would return home.

"I know Momma, trust me, I do. I'm worried, but Drake will pull through. He always does," I whispered, kissing my mother's hair gently. She sighed softly, relaxing into my hold for a while. She was content to let me comfort her, but eventually she did pull away, wiping her eyes with her hands.

"I'm sorry, honey, I just need to be alone for a while. I'll see you at dinner," she said quietly and she kissed my cheek gently. I gave her the best smile I could muster but I was sure that it didn't look very happy or appealing. I was miserable because my brother could possibly be dying, my mother was an emotional wreck and I was growing considerably close to Sauli. There was just too much going on in my life that I couldn't control and I hated it all more than anything else. I felt like my life was in the hands of everyone but me and I didn't like it. I should have been in control of my own destiny and my own decisions, not anyone else.

"Okay, Momma. Please come find me if you need me," I said, kissing her cheek as well. She smiled at me, the same sort of smile I had just given her. We both knew that it was false. We both understood that we were just trying to stay positive when, really, all we wanted to do was break down.

I watched my mother leave the room, probably to go walk in the gardens or return to her bedroom. We had been sitting on a small sofa in Drake's art studio. That's where we felt closest to him, because his creations were really just extensions of himself. We felt like we were with him without him really needing to be there and while it wasn't as nice as having Drake with us, it was close enough.

Sighing, I closed my eyes and rubbed them with my hands. I wanted to get up and do something productive, anything that would get my mind off of everything that was happening in my life, but I didn't have the motivation to do anything. There really wasn't much to do but sit around and hope to get some good news from Drake, but they wouldn't get to Persia for several days anyway.

I sat there for a while with my face in my hands. I didn't even hear the door open. I had no idea that someone had joined me until a hand settled on my thigh, pulling me out of my empty world of protection. "Eric?" Sauli whispered. We had been spending more and more time together. He kept saying that I reminded him of Drake; I just wasn't as intimidating because I wasn't the Pharaoh of Egypt and I wasn't so completely heartbroken. Sauli liked Drake, admired him for saving him from the Persians, but he was still afraid of my brother. I didn't really understand it, because Drake wasn't someone to fear most of the time, but I wouldn't call Sauli out for it.

"Yeah?" I whispered, dropping my hands so I could turn my attention to the young man. Sauli and I were the same age; I was just a few months older than him. It was hard to believe that he was as old as I was. He didn't look a day over twenty. Then again, before Adam's disappearance and Drake's depression, Drake didn't look a day over twenty either. Now he looked his age, but he still didn't look old enough to be a Pharaoh.

"You okay?" he asked quietly and he lifted his hand to brush away tears that I didn't even realize had been falling. I sniffled a little; suddenly embarrassed by the fact that I was crying in front of Sauli, although I didn't really understand why I was so humiliated.

"I'm just… I'm really just terrified that my brother isn't going to come home and, if he doesn't come home, what's going to happen to the rest of us? And to Egypt?" I said quietly, sniffling to keep my nose from running in that disgusting way it always did whenever someone cried. There was so much more than just my brother going to Persia. There was Adam possibly dead or dying, my mother who would just be crushed if she lost another child, especially if it was Drake. There was this odd feeling I was harboring for Sauli. I wasn't gay! I couldn't be gay! My father would never approve of that!

"I know you're afraid for your brother, Eric, but he's going to be okay… I've never met someone so strong and driven by his own will. He won't let anyone tell him he's wrong and he'll stop at nothing to accomplish what he wants. I've seen it. No one will ever be able to bring him down," Sauli whispered quietly and dropped his hand to rub my back.

"He might be all of those things, but that doesn't really mean that he can best death…" I said sadly and Sauli just frowned. He put his arms around me to comfort me and I found the closeness both enjoyable and alarming. Part of me wanted to pull him closer, hug him back and the other part of me wanted to shove him away. I didn't want to get too close to Sauli and yet, I wanted to get closer than close.

This was not right, yet there was nothing more perfect.

"Don't be so afraid, okay? Drake… He's going to be okay. He'll pull through, I'm sure of it," he said and he leaned up a little. I was frozen in his hold, caught between wanting to shove him away and wanting to pull him closer and it left me just… unable to do anything. I was truly stuck. "And besides, you have people to unload your worries on. I'm always here for you." It was true. Ever since Sauli came here, we had grown rather close. Mostly, I approached him as a close friend but lately, especially at this moment; it felt like we were pushing the boundaries of friendship and into the realm of a relationship.

"Thank you, Sauli," I whispered and he smiled softly.

"You're welcome, darling," he said quietly and he brought one hand up to cup my cheek. For a while we sat in silence, his thumb drawing circles into my cheek. After a while though, he broke the silence that had filled the room. "You know I'll always be here for you, right?" he asked me.

"Of course I know that Sauli and I really—" I couldn't really continue because he gently turned my head so I was looking at him. Sauli's lips pressed to mine quickly, before I even had a chance to protest or even process what was going on. For a moment, I sat there doing nothing. I was shocked and he was giving me a one sided kiss. Eventually my lips molded to his. He tasted like licorice and his lips were alluring. I hadn't kissed someone in quite some time and this was completely amazing.

Then I realized who I was kissing…

Sauli.

I broke the kiss instantly, my eyes wide. Sauli looked equally as shocked because we had both been enjoying the kiss and he didn't understand why I was suddenly breaking away. This had been a long time coming. "I… I'm sorry. I can't do this… Not right now," I said, putting a hand over my mouth and before Sauli could say anything, I was off of the sofa, away from him and out the door.

"Eric!" he shouted after me but I never stopped to look back.


	38. Renegade On The Run

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: Renegade On The Run**

**Cassidy's POV**

Sweat gathered on the back of my neck from heat and from nerves as we neared the border of Persia. We had been riding for about three days and faced no opposition, yet we knew not to expect such easy traveling to continue. We were exhausted, our provisions were beginning to run out, and we were mere miles from rival territory. Mere miles from our enemy as well as our loved one.

I could see tension in everyone's positions, the strain in their shoulders and legs. They were all just as antsy, just as anxious to get into Persia. But what would we face there? What was waiting for us? Or, worse yet, what wasn't waiting?

I shook the thought away, readjusting my grip on the handle bars of my bike. The engine purred between my calves, surprisingly cool despite having been running since dawn. That was the night thing about today's technology and vehicles, everything was power efficient and conserved energy. They didn't let out as much heat as they had, perhaps, a few hundred years ago.

I glanced over towards Drake, seeing every line, every angle of his body taught and prepared for the worst. He harbored the same fears that I did—he was ready for an attack. Any kind of attack. If there was any doubt in Drake's capabilities before, it was gone now. I didn't have to see his face to know that his jaw was set into a determined scowl and his eyes were ablaze.

I turned my attention away from Drake, looking ahead to see two black dots in the distance, rapidly approaching us. I reached up, pressing a plated button on the lower left side of my helmet. "Darius, Nicholas, Carter," I said. Small clicks sounded and they responded back to me. "Pull up and keep Drake covered. Two unknown subjects are approaching. Alexander and I will flank Drake. Move, now."

The soldiers obeyed, moving up as Alex and I peeled back. The tension stayed in Drake's posture, his grip on his bike's bars white-knuckled. I stayed close to Drake's left side as Alex veered close to the right. Darius was positioned directly in front of Drake with Nicholas and Carter diagonal with Drake.

Up ahead, the two black dots suddenly became six, all figures in dark clothes that rippled in the wind. They wore helmets and gloves, faces covered by plated shields. My heart pounded in my chest as our group neared theirs. For a moment, there was nothing. Nothing but dust trailing and swirling into clouds. Nothing but the gentle purr of engines and sunlight beating down on us, heat waves in the distance like shimmering glass in the sand. Nothing but heat, sweat, tension and a gap that was stitching itself shut quicker and quicker. Nothing…

And then there was a sniper dot, centered on the back of Drake's neck, inching its way towards his helmet.

"Drake!" I howled into the mic of my helmet. The young king jerked, turning his head towards me as Alex flanked in close. I didn't hear the shot, but I watched a spray of blood protrude from Alex's shoulder, misting on his clothes and on the back of Drake's shirt. His pained cries rang through my helmet followed by Drake's desperate attempts to look back and see that his friend and advisor was alright.

Drake veered in close to the side, keeping tight beside me and Alex. Ahead of us, the black figures split off, zooming around to circle us. Darius, Nicholas, and Carter each drew metal plated nine-millimeter handguns loaded with exploding bullets. They were trained for combat on foot, on vehicles, and even in the air, and they each picked off a Persian figure in a matter of moments. Three bodies violently jerked and collapsed from bikes, metal crashing into the sand. The remaining three peeled off.

I glanced behind to see two more black-clad figures, coming in close with gaining speed. Clenching my jaw, I twisted the throttle and turned the bars, spinning in a half circle before jamming my foot against the reverse petals. The tires of my bike spun, dust pooling before I went flying backwards, coming up beside Drake. Flipping a switch on the panel, I set my bike into auto-drive, pulling out my own handguns. Beside me, Drake continued to bombard Alex with concerned questions and me with orders. Orders to pull back, orders to turn around and ride on. When a shot went whizzing past his helmet, he quickly shut up.

Aiming, I fired several rounds off at our pursuers, managing to clip one in the shoulder and the other in the knee. My own knees and calves were pressed tight to the sides of my bike to keep my balance. Sweat slid down my neck as I fired at the Persian soldiers over and over, piercing one through the center of his helmet and the other in the throat. They both went tumbling down in blood, dust, and smoking metal.

Shoving my guns into their holsters, I flipped the auto-drive switch off, twisting the handle bars before racing to catch up to Drake and Alex. The young king's hands were tight on the bars, and Alex clung to his own bike with both legs and one hand. His injured shoulder was still bleeding and his arm was tucked against his stomach. He seemed okay, though; despite the occasional hisses of pain, his breathing had evened out.

"Cassidy!" Darius called to me through the mic, motioning ahead. There was a bride of concrete and steel, barely wide enough for a single-file line. It spanned for a good hundred yards or so, and I knew it was the bridge that connected us to the border of Persia. On the other side, from what I could tell, were the three Persian soldiers who'd fled our first tiff, and an additional six or seven waiting on the sidelines.

"Fuck!" I shouted. Beside me, Drake was stiff. "Alright, slow it down. Darius, Nicholas, Carter, prepare your launchers. Before we hit that bride, I want you to create a cloud cover. Carter, peel off and take Alex. Drake, you'll hop on with me. We'll have to ditch the additional bikes, so pack your stuff. We'll take her down one at a time. Darius and Nicholas, you'll deploy bombs, get their attention away from us," I instructed them, glancing over at Drake. His helmeted head was snapped in my direction, and I could hear the argument that hadn't even erupted yet.

"Alex is injured. They're going to know the difference between us, and I refuse to put any of you in danger." He barked at me. I sighed, slowly my speed some. The others followed in suit. The bridge was still a good distance away.

"Drake, we don't have any other options, and we're running out of time," I told him. Darius and Nicholas had gone into auto-drive and were loading their equipment into packs, swinging them onto their shoulders before loading their guns and launchers. "We're going to make it and we're going to be alright. Now, please, pack your bag and water. Our window of opportunity is closing."

It took a moment but Drake went into auto-drive and quickly packed his stuff. Jewels, water, ammunition, knives, the last of his clean clothes and supplies. Basically everything he needed and brought. Next to him, Alex did the same, though slower since he only had one hand to work with. Carter peeled off, coming up beside Alex, helping him hop from one bike to the other. Drake pulled in beside me, pack slung on his shoulders. I helped him across onto my bike, ignoring Drake's grumbled protests.

I glanced over at Alex, seeing his position and the way he was pressed to Carter. Behind me, Drake copied him. He looped his arms around my waist, tucking his head against the back of my left shoulder, gluing himself to me. The lines of his legs followed along mine, his feet tucked into the slats behind my calves.

I gave the order to Darius and Nicholas, and they fired a few simple smoke bombs off ahead of us. We took off riding towards the bridge, hearts pounding and sweat falling. We gained speed, dust and rocks flying and forming behind us. In front, the smoke bombs cracked open, releasing a thick, massive white cloud that was completely harmless but entirely annoying to drive through.

Biting my lip, I tightened my grip on the bars, the smoke hazy and dense. Drake's arms wound a little further around me. There was a strange pressure that was hard against my spine, a tiny surface area that felt smooth yet irritating. Before I could ask Drake about it, we sped out of the cloud and headed towards the mouth of the bridge.

Darius shot ahead, taking the front of the line. Carter and Alex were next in line, followed by myself and Drake, Nicholas taking up the back of the pack. "Prepare your guns, Drake…" I told him. Drake hummed in response, holding onto me with one arm, awkwardly shuffling to appear injured as he reached for a gun. In front of us, Alex did the same.

The Persian soldiers were dormant for a while, as if watching us. We crossed the first half of the bridge and they curved around to their side of the border, waiting for us. My heart was thrashing in my chest, beating like an angry drum the closer we got. Drake and Alex had their weapons at the ready, but I was unsure if we were really going to need them. As we drew near, the Persians showed no increased hostility.

"Slow it down, Darius," I said, and he obeyed my commands. Carter, Nicholas and I followed in suit, peeling out from the bridge. We stayed in line as we pulled to a stop, and a burly Persian with dark hair and eyes slid off of his bike.

"King Emir has been notified of your arrival and wishes for us to escort you to the palace. Which of you is Pharaoh Drake?" Drake tensed behind me, and I turned my head towards the solider, removing my helmet so that I could clearly speak to him.

"Are we ensured of safe travel to King Emir's palace?" The solider nodded, and Drake removed his helmet behind me.

"I am," he said, his voice hard. It was still strange to me how much he sounded like a man when I'd known him since he was barely more than a boy. He'd grown up so much in such a short amount of time, and now he was even older, even wiser, trapped in a youth's body.

"Follow us." The Persian said, climbing back onto his bike. Drake and I replaced our helmets, watching as the other Persians sped off, expecting us to follow.

"What do we do, sir?" Nicholas said to me through the mic. I sighed.

"Well, Pharaoh. What's our move?" I asked. Drake responded without a moment's hesitation.

"We follow. We save Adam. We put an end to all of this."


	39. When Darkness Turns to Light

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: When Darkness Turns to Light  
>Drake's POV<br>**  
>The Persians escorted us right up to the palace's front door. I wasn't entirely sure what Emir was trying to get at, but I didn't trust him as far as I could throw him. Since I was five foot eight I didn't even weight one hundred forty pounds, I probably couldn't even lift him, let alone throw him.<p>

As I ascended the stairs, led by the group of Persian soldiers, flanked by my own guards and my two advisors, I caught citizens stopping their daily routine to stare at the short redhead with gold bangs. I made sure to put on as much jewelry as I could without looking ridiculous. Earrings, ear cuff, necklace, several bracelets and a serpent wrapped around the jacket sleeve of my upper right arm, all strikingly gold against my black clothes. I didn't want to overdo the jewelry, but I had to maintain an air of royalty in the face of my enemies. They had to be reminded of who I was, and that I was not someone to brush off.

Murmurs rose all around us, wondering why the Pharaoh of Egypt was in Persia. I never came to Persia personally; in fact, the citizens of Persia probably had no idea what was even going on. Emir probably never shared the fact that he had taken Adam, Egypt's rightful king, into custody. As far as these people knew, it was probably illness that brought about my rule. Perhaps they were so sheltered, so naïve that they truly believed I had been Pharaoh for years, or they believed that I was Adam. With the way Emir behaved, it wouldn't have surprised me at all if he just told his people nothing. He was a control freak and if he kept his people in the dark about every situation then he had the ultimate control over a huge group of people.

They were at his mercy.

He also believed that I was at his mercy. He thought that he held all the aces and that there was nothing I could do to get Adam back but push for war. My young age and my lack of real ruling experience made me look like a weak opponent, and Emir believed that he could take advantage of me. He had no idea what I was truly capable of but by the end of my brief visit to Persia, he would know and he would regret the day he ever decided to send his guards into Egypt to kidnap Adam. He would regret all of his lies and refusing my proposals. By the time I left Persia, Emir would be on the losing side because if I didn't leave Persia, I would die. I would die rather than fail Adam and my country.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Cassidy whispered to me, barely audible and hard for even me to hear him. I just turned my head enough to look him in the eye, nodded once and looked back. We'd reached the top of the steps and, to my surprise; the palace had a similar layout to my own home. Beyond the top of the steps there were about a dozen pillars holding up the structure in front of us. The room was not cut off from the elements in any way. The front was completely open to a giant throne room. A luxurious carpet lead up the middle of the room; straight to an intricate throne chair and large fountains flanked each side of the carpet.

Other than that, there wasn't much in the room. Murals decorated the walls, but they weren't beautiful in any respect, not like the ones I had done at home. Instead of beautiful, inspiring pieces, the room was filled with bloody, gruesome scenes of dictatorship and forcing people into slavery. Emir always insisted that he wasn't a dictator, that he controlled his people fairly, but looking around at all of the paintings, each more disturbing and inhuman than the last, I knew he was lying. Even pictures of brutal, public executions were forever inlaid in the stone and the air stunk of a misery that was practically visible.

"Hello Pharaoh," Emir said as we were guided between the opposing fountains. "So good of you to come and visit, but really you must be exhausted," he continued, standing from his throne to approach us. "You look tired, bags under your eyes. You all look like you could use a decent night's rest and some.. medical attention, yes?"

"With all due respect, we didn't venture all the way from Egypt for a slumber party," I said, clearly mocking him out in the open but keeping my tone level and I even manage to make it respectable. His guards slowly repositioned themselves around Emir, moving away from my company and me.

"Oh, I know why you are here, Pharaoh," Emir muttered, stepping forward to give me a once over. "But honestly, can't it wait till morning? I'll give you and your friends a few rooms so you can, at the very least, freshen up and get a few hours of rest." Emir snapped his fingers and in the blink of an eye, servants were kneeling down next to him with trays filled with wine, water and light foods in their hands, outstretched towards me. "Please, eat, drink. We're all friends here." What a total load of bullshit.

He must have seen the look of loathing on my face, because he smiled, but if you really paid attention to his facial structure, you could tell that he was really smirking at me. "Thank you, that's very kind, but we also did not come to sip wine and chat over fruits," I say dryly. The truth was, I was starving. We hadn't had a decent meal in days and the more I thought about it, the drier my throat seemed to be. As much as I wanted to take a glass of water from the tray outstretched before me but I didn't trust it. It was probably laced with poison or somehow he found out how much I was seriously allergic to lemons and sprinkled the water with its juices. I sounded paranoid, but I had every single right to be.

"Oh, Pharaoh, don't be like that. I'm just trying to be a decent host. I didn't have much time to prepare, I wasn't exactly aware of your visit, but I'd like to be as reasonable as possible here. Please, take my food as a small gesture of welcome," Emir said and he sounded genuine, but I knew better than that. Dealing with this man for the past year taught me that he was cruel and devious. How could I ever be expected to take anything from this man?

"We've already eaten, while we were stopped about an hour ago. Please, I'm only here to talk to you. Don't feel the need to go out of your way for my sake or the sake of my friends. We don't need your food, your wine or your rooms, we just need to sit down and talk about our situation," I insisted. "We need to finish this, come to some sort of agreement, since we can't seem to do that with miles and miles between us.

"I insist you stay the night and we resume this in the morning. It's quite rude to refuse such hospitality, Pharaoh…" he said, almost tsking me.

Alex came to my side. "Drake, as long as we're together, it might not be so bad… Maybe we should get a decent night's sleep and do this in the morning," he whispered and I knew he was in pain for taking that shot for me. He needed to get the wound cleaned up and properly bandaged, but I didn't like the idea of spending the night in this place. I didn't like thinking that Adam was being held prisoner, sick and dying, somewhere in the dungeons that were surely beneath my feet. I wanted to finish this and I wanted to finish it now.

However I had been ignoring almost everything Alex had to say for weeks now. He was hitting every last one of my nerves but now I thought that he might be right. As long as we were together, there wouldn't be too much harm in staying the night, unless Adam was dying as I stood there, contemplating the best course of action.

"Maybe it wouldn't be such a horrible idea…" I said, although I was very clearly unhappy about it. I was leery about this, but we all needed some sleep whether I wanted to admit it or not. It just seemed right to make sure that we had already settled this before we tried to sleep. The sun was beginning to set over the horizon and soon it would be dark. Would there even be a point in negotiating so late at night? We were all tired; especially my team, and I doubted we'd settle anything within the next several hours anyway. Sleep sounded especially inviting now.

I didn't believe for a second that we were actually safe though. We'd have to take shifts, making sure one or two people were awake at all times. What if the guards tried to imprison us like they had done to Adam? What if we were slaughtered in our sleep or given some sort of horrible injection?

"Very well, but I—" I started and before I could even get my demands out, one of Emir's soldiers had me by the arm, tugging me away from the others. Cassidy instantly stepped forward to intervene but the other Persian soldiers kept him, Alex and my own guards back. Once again, I was face with the realization that I should have trusted my instincts instead of taking Alex's advice.

The guard barely had me out of the throne room before he shoved me up against the wall, pinning me down with one of my hands trapped behind my back. "What do you think you're doing?" I hissed at him and when he smirked down at me, I recognized him from all of the times he had been escorting messengers to my palace. I wasn't quite sure, but I believed his name was Derek.

"Whatever I want to do, Pharaoh," he breathed into my ear and not a second later did his lips crash down on mine. He used hit weight to pin me against the wall and one of his hands dropped to my pants, groping me roughly. Flashbacks of Brad came flooding back to me and, for a moment, I was paralyzed with fear. The corridor was dark, so I hoped he couldn't see the terror in my eyes, but I wasn't that fortunate. He smirked at me, licking my cheek rather savagely, like I was nothing more than his favorite candy.

"Drake! Drake!" I could hear both Cassidy and Alex shouting for me but Emir's guards were obviously keeping him them at bay.

"What's the matter, Pharaoh? Not strong enough to get away? Your friends obviously can't help you and I'm going to have such a good time fucking your ginger ass until your pretty little head pops off," he growls, biting into my earlobe. The fingers of my pinned arm curled around one of the guns hidden under my coat in my belt. I would not give this sick bastard the satisfaction of hearing me scream or hearing me beg and I sure as Hell was not about to let him have his way with me.

"Get off of me," I hissed and he actually laughed in my face, pulling away from me to reposition but it gave me just enough space to pull my arm free and aim my gun, point blank, at his face. "I said get off of me, you bastard!" I shouted at him, finger itching to pull the trigger.

"Please, give me a reason to do it." Derek's previous dominance completely failed him and I shoved him. I didn't really give him an option but to let me go because if he didn't, he'd be missing most of his face.

"Who the Hell do you think you are, Emir?" I screamed, entering the throne room again. There was shock on everyone's face, because I'd gone from an innocent, skinny and nonthreatening boy to an armed and dangerous man. "Who the fuck do you think you are?" I repeated.

Maybe it wasn't the smartest move, to aim a gun at the King of Persia, but one way or another, this was going to end tonight.


	40. Would Have Loved You Like No Other

**Chapter Thirty-Nine: One Thing is Evident—Would Have Given All I Had, Would Have Loved You Like No Other…**

**Sebastian's POV**

Exhaustion pulled at my eyes, my hand falling lax as the pen slid from my fingers. My shoulders felt stiff and there was a crick in the side of my neck that had been pinching my nerves since before dawn. My body desired sleep; between my age, the years of servitude I'd been forced to five for Emir, and the stress of the last several weeks it was all I could do to keep my eyes open. But my mind was racing with a thousand thoughts, thoughts that had plagued my waking moments as well as my dreams.

Adam had gotten worse. Weeks ago I'd gone to his cell and found him lying naked and abused on the grimy floor. Even as I'd picked him up and helped him to lay back on his bed, he didn't say a word, and he flinched the first time I touched him. There had been a light in his eyes that, now, was gone. As if taken, or brutally ripped from him.

When I tried to clean him, he shied away from me, as if my own gentle touch was the equivalent to a venomous snake bite. I managed to wipe away dirty, sweat, and general filth, yet the moment I attempted to sooth swelling with salve, he shoved me away as hard as he physically could—which… in truth, wasn't that hard. He was so weak, it was a wonder I even swayed. He screamed at me, too… I could never forget his words. They were laced with pain and ice, his eyes lost and dark with agony.

"Just let me die," he'd said.

A shiver rolled down my spine at the memory. Such words had haunted my heart, leaving it cold and fearful. For so long Adam held onto hope, even in sickness; he'd been fighting for the chance to see another new day. And now that fire was gone, extinguished from within him. Stolen. And I knew exactly who was responsible, yet there was nothing I could do about it.

I tried with every ounce of might I could hope to muster and possess, but Adam's condition only worsened with each day. It was as if he'd given up the will to live, and while I wanted to refuse the idea that Adam, a man I'd come to see as my friend, even as a son, would give up, I couldn't deny it completely. Adam never seemed to eat anymore, which left his emaciated figure even more skeletal than before… He slept without rest, he refused to talk to anyone, refused to move or try to take care of himself… He stopped…everything.

I sighed heavily, staring down at the pages of my journal. Often I would write my thoughts as well as Adam's condition, and how it progressed, but with everything that had happened, everything that had continued to happen, I could hardly focus. It was hard enough before when I had been caring for dozens of people, and making trips out to other countries, the farthest being Egypt…

Thinking about my patients brought tears to my eyes. Between lack of supplies, poor living situations and next to no nutrition, most of them had died. Men and woman of all ages, races, sizes and social backgrounds had withered away to nothing with only their hand in mine and my gentle prayers to send them off to the After. Even a young woman, barely more than a girl, had fallen to a terrible fever. She'd been a beautiful Samoan traveler, an instant and unfortunate favorite amongst the guards here. She'd gotten pregnant and, despite barely eating even a single meal during a day, she'd carried her child to full term and birthed a beautiful, albeit underweight, baby girl.

I remember she died in child birth, sweat and tears on her face and her features exhausted. She'd caught one glimpse, one tiny glimpse of her baby before she smiled for the first time in months. She continued to smile while she held her baby. She told me to care for the child, make sure she survived. I remember that I tried. I tried to care for the child but my supplies were so low, and while Emir was cruel towards his prisoners, he was ungodly towards the infant. The child had died not even a week after her mother.

Biting my lip, I brushed away the tears that had gathered in the corners of my eyes. That girl trusted me with everything to care for her child, and I'd failed her. Just the same, Drake had entrusted Adam's care to me, and I'd failed him, too…

"Gods," I murmured, folding my hands in front of my face, my eyes tightly shut. "Please… please, I'm lost as to what I'll do if Adam doesn't make it… I don't know what I'll tell Drake.. my wits are thinning and my breath is short. I am utterly exhausted, yet I know I must keep fighting. I will keep fighting, but, please, aid me… I am lost and time is running short. I fear that there is only so much left in Adam before he wills himself to die. Please, I beg you…"

A part of me felt rather foolish. I was hardly a religious man and only ever prayed in the most dire situations, such as now. In truth, I didn't want to pray; I wanted to go to someone, anyone, be close to them and vent all of my frustrations out into the open. I wanted to cry, and I wanted to yell for all of this agony that I felt, all of this turmoil. I wanted to curl up in a beloved's arms and just stay there forever, weeping.

Tightening my hands together, an image flashed across my mind. An image of a woman with rich brown hair, fair skin and eyes as deep as and blue as the sea. She had a smile that could lift you up and a touch to keep you grounded. It had been years since I saw her last, but her beauty never once faded from my mind. Her laughter still rung as clear as sweet bells in my heart.

It had been years since I saw her, but I never stopped thinking of her. She was always on my mind in one fashion or another. Whether it was in my work, and how she once told me that I would be a great man, saving the lives of many. Sometimes it would be in my dreams, and we would just lay together in darkness, her breath fanning across my skin. In rare occurrences, I would see her in the faces of those I encountered. Someone would have her eyes, another would have her hair. Only one individual had been a spitting image of her and yet he was just as far from me as she was…

My eyes fluttered open, tears streaming down my cheeks as her name rolled off of my tongue in an anguished whisper. I missed her more than I could ever hope to express, but just as quickly as my thoughts and desires had been filled with her, they vanished at the sound of shouting and heavy footfalls outside of my door.

I wiped at my cheeks before pushing from my desk. My legs groaned in protest at the sudden movement, but I crossed to the door with little else in the way of pain or resistance. The shouts, from what I could hear, were loud and frantic, spoken in thick Persian with mottled accents. Normally, the guards spoke English, as it was a more common language and more widely used than the old language. The fact that the guards had resorted to their native tongue only proved that something was wrong.

I wrenched the door open, watching several guards dressed in light armor rushing passed my door, heading towards the stairwell that led to the ground floor of the palace. I frowned, carefully slipping from my room, past guards who were unaware of my presence. It wasn't difficult. They were distracted and would pay no attention to a man who often roamed the dungeons alone anyway.

I hurried down towards the center of the dungeons, questioning the prisoners as I went, pleading to know if they understood what was happening. Naturally, none of them knew. They didn't understand Persian and were just as lost as I was. A part of me was even more frustrated than before, but I knew I couldn't fault the others.

I turned away from them, making my way back in the direction of my own room. But I had no intention of returning there; I wanted to see Adam. No, want was an understatement. I needed to see Adam. I needed to make sure that he was alright, that he was still holding on even if he didn't want to. It killed me to see him so broken and weak, but it made me realize that I needed to be that much stronger for him…

I'd almost made it to his room when the hand of a rather monstrous guard clapped around my arm, pulling me back so hard I swore that my shoulder had been ripped right from its socket. Luckily, it hadn't. "Where d'you think you're going, slave?"

I frowned softly, "There is someone who needs my aid immediately." I told him. It wasn't a complete lie; Adam did need me, even if he was unwilling to admit it.

"Let the fuck rot and get back to your room," the guard gave me a rough shove into a wall and I hissed as my shoulder slammed hard into it. "Go on, get a move on, or I'll—"

"Danarius!" A voice called and the two of us glanced over. Another guard stood watching, a man I recognized as being named James. His eyes were hard and focused on Danarius, who was scowling back at James. "You're supposed to be above with the rest. Go, before Emir has you suspended for disobeying orders!"

"And what of you?" Danarius questioned. "Why aren't you there?"

"I was told to stay here and keep an eye on the prisoners. I will escort this one back to his room, now _go_." Danarius complied with a grumble and disappeared down the hall. I clenched my jaw and bowed my head, knowing with all my heart that I needed to be with Adam, but I couldn't rebel against another guard. I'd be beaten for sure.

I'd just turned away to walk back to my room when James called me. "Doctor?" I turned, keeping my head bowed to him as he walked up to me. "Look at me…"

James' voice was soft, borderline gentle, and I obeyed. His eyes were concerned. "You were going to see him? Adam?" I frowned but nodded slowly. I couldn't understand why James would show anything other than what the rest of the guards showed him, but all I could hope for was that he had a heart and knew what it meant to be compassionate.

"Yes, I was," I told him. "But I understand I must return—" James shook his head.

"No. Go to him. He's going to need to, if he doesn't already."

"Why..? Please, tell me, what is going on?" James' eyes sparkled in the low lighting of the dungeon hall and I swear I saw the beginnings of a smile.

"The Pharaoh of Egypt—Adam's husband—has arrived. And he's determined for his demands to be met. Go to Adam, tell him the news. If all ends well, they will be reunited tonight.." James started to leave, gently easing past me when I caught his arm, stuttering before finding my words.

"Why are you helping us? Why do you care?" I asked him. James' eyes softened.

"You are not the only man here forced to serve. Your talents lay with medicine and care. Mine are in battle. I am tired of this palace and these barbaric people, and I long to return to my home in England, where my family is waiting. Perhaps with Pharaoh Drake's arrival, this nightmare will end for everyone who deserves peace."

With that, James trotted off, and I felt a swelling in my heart that left me nearly paralyzed against the wall. I clutched my chest, willing the beats to steady before I hurried off to Adam's cell, a new found energy thrumming through my veins like a second wind. Excitement pushed my stride longer, filled my lungs deeper and pulled the smile wider and wider on my face. Drake's appearance clarified everything. The panic of the guards, the rushing and shouting and barking of orders.

Turning a corner, I raced down a long and narrow hallway before skidding to a stop at Adam's cell. I grabbed the ring of keys that had been left, abandoned, on their hook across from his door, unlocking the gate before sliding it open. Adam lay on his cot, his back to me. He was wearing a ratty pair of trousers that were several sizes too large on him, held to his hips with a thin drawstring. His exposed back and shoulders were mottled with scars from lashings and bruises from beatings. His ribs were visible, the sharp juts and ridges in his shoulders and spine like mountain peaks in his skin. Short, choppy grey hair was twisted and knotted, the ends tipped in sweat and grease, dirt smeared on the back of his neck.

"Adam," I said, yet he didn't move. If it wasn't for the stuttered tremble in his ribs telling me he was still breathing, I would have feared he'd passed before I could come for him. I went to his bed side, gently rolling him onto his back. He didn't fight me. "Adam, please… It's alright now. Everything is alright…"

I felt breathless with excitement before I stared down at his face. Dark shadows circled his eyes, his lips were slightly parted and chapped, pale and gummy at the corners. Dry skin flaked around his nose. Seeing the front of him made my stomach flip. His ribs were frighteningly visible, his stomach caving in where his cage ended. His hips were disgustingly prominent and his fingers were thin, claw-like. Jagged and dirty nails, blackened with bruises; his pinky was bent to the side a little strangely, and I knew that it was either broken or had healed horribly wrong.

Tears stung my eyes and I rested my palm on his forehead, caressing his skin and his hair. He didn't look at me. His gaze was locked with the ceiling, half-lidded and blank. He wasn't present within himself, but I had to make him hear me. "Adam, please… Drake is here. He's here for you… He's come to save you… Adam… Son, please…"


	41. The War Has Just Begun

**Chapter Forty: You May Have Won the Battle but the War Has Just Begun  
>Drake's POV<strong>

The palace was suddenly on lock down. Every guard Emir had was pulled away from their duties to come and defend him. This told me that he was really just a coward and I was close to the point of not caring about the outcome. I could blow Emir's brains out and be satisfied, even if I didn't live long enough afterwards to bath in the glory. If I went to my grave knowing that Emir was dead as well, I would die happily. However I didn't plan on dying, not today.

"I don't really know what goes on in your fucked up mind, Emir," I said, my gun still pointed at his face. "But if you think I travelled all the way here from Egypt just to have your guards rape me and throw me in a disgusting cell, you're sadly mistaken." My voice was calm, eerily so and I was even shocking myself, but I wasn't afraid anymore. This just needed to end and what happened to me later didn't matter as long as I won this.

"I assure you, Pharaoh, I have no idea what you're talking about," Emir muttered and it really just baffled me. How was he still able to deny everything and believe the rest of us were naïve enough to believe him? His lies were just becoming ridiculous and it took everything I had not to shoot him on the spot.

"Oh, you have no idea that your guard just tried to rape me in the hall? You have no idea that my husband, the rightful king of Egypt, has been rotting in your dungeons for a year? You have no idea that every single word that falls off of your lips is completely and utter bullshit! Well, consider me the man who will set everything straight for you and the man who will bring you to your knees," I hissed, approaching in once more. I reached into my belt with my left hand and pulled my second gun free. I was right handed, however when it came to hunting, I was rather skilled with both my right and left hand. This wasn't much different because Emir was hardly human.

The Persian King didn't seem too concerned, nor should he have been. In his eyes, I was a foolish child, outnumbered by all of his guards, but this would be the last day that he underestimated me. "You? Bring me to my knees?" Emir asked, laughing as he did so. "Don't make me laugh. That's so ridiculous, you're nothing but a little boy playing dress up in the time your husband has… been away. You're hardly old enough to be married to such an old man, let alone rule a country. You're barely holding on. What makes you think I'll give into you now?"

"Because, Emir, I'm done sitting back and hoping that you'll stop being an asshole and come to your sense. I'm not going to just hand you my throne. However, I've come to understand that this is the only thing you will ever accept to release my husband," I said, both of my guns pointed at him. Several of his guards were pointing various weapons at me, but I wasn't worried. I had a plan, one that I had been formulating for days and days that I shared with no one. I was the only one who could even begin to attempt to execute this, not to mention, if anyone knew about it, they would have tried to stop me. No one would understand. They would call me an idiot; maybe even try to subdue me to keep me from perusing what I've been thinking about for days.

Well, in actuality, when I first got word from Adam that he was alive and holding on, waiting for me, was when I first thought about this. Then it had been a last resort, something I would only do if there were absolutely no other choices. Now I realized that I didn't have much room to come up with another plan. Everything up to this point had failed and I needed to end this now.

"Those are big words for someone so small and pathetic," Emir said, smirking in my direction. Both of my index fingers itched to pull the triggers of my guns, however coldblooded murder was not in my plans. "You think just because you've come to me in person that I'm willing to drop everything and give into your demands? If anything, you coming here is the dumbest thing you've done thus far. So tell me, Pharaoh, what is you big plan now? Are you going to throw a tantrum until I give in?"

"No, Emir," I said, keeping my tone calm and even again. It was a wonder that I was even able to do it, but I managed well enough. "This has gone on long enough, it truly has, and I'm done with this. We have to solve this now, today and I'll make it worth your while. We're going to have one final battle, just between you and I."

"What makes you think I would agree to something like that?" he asked, his face suddenly seriously.

"Because I'm going to give you an offer that you simply can't refuse," I said, shifting the position of my handguns so they were still at the ready, but no longer directly threatening the king's life. With the small army of Emir's guards surrounding me, I couldn't afford to completely drop my defenses, but while I relinquished my proposition to Emir, I needed to be as diplomatic as possible.

"Drake, what are you doing?" hissed Alex from behind a few guards. Emir's men outnumbered us greatly, which was why I had to go through with this plan, to even the odds.

"Shut up, Alex, don't question me," I growled back, using my peripheral vision to see him. I couldn't let my guard down, but if Alex kept speaking to me like this, I was going to lose any respect these people actually still held for me. Alex was treating me like a child, just like Emir was and I simply wasn't going to put up with it in this setting. _I_ was the Pharaoh of Egypt, not him. Adam left his throne to _me_ and Alex needed to realize that. "In the public eye you will refer to me as Pharaoh until the day Adam has taken his throne back or I lie before you dead. Do not continue to talk down to me, especially in the mixed company of other royalty." My normal soft and gentle voice was gone, replaced with one of hard authority and Alex stared at me, as if shocked by my demands. Honestly, it was very out of character for me, but Alex needed to stop making me look like some kid who had no idea how to do anything.

Emir's eyes fell on my advisers, both clearly ten plus years older than me and he smirked. "All right, Pharaoh, you've caught my interest. If you're willing to step out from behind your protection to confront me directly, I'll respect you enough to listen to what you have to say." He sounded like he was praising my courage and me but I knew what he was saying underneath all of that.

_You're an idiot and you'll lose this soon enough, so I'll humor you._

"You and I settle this between ourselves. Using advisers and brute force and half bullshit proposals has gotten us nowhere and now that we're face to face, I realize that there really is no safe way to end this. We will never come to an agreement because I want my husband back and you want my throne. Since neither of us will relinquish these things, I suppose that the only way to fairly end this is a duel," I announced. "Between you and me, no interference from outside parties, just you, me and a couple of pistols."

"And? I suppose the stakes are obvious? If I win, which of course, I will, then I get control over Egypt and if you win, you get your husband back?" he asked. He was already counting his prize money, which was his biggest mistake. He was underestimating my ability to poach him like he was some sort of exotic, endangered wild cat.

"Not quite. If you win, you can have Egypt. You can have all of its riches and turn it into another Persia, if your heart so desires. If I win, I want the same. Adam will be returned to me, alive, you will step down from your throne and Egypt will take control of Persia until a suitable ruler can be named," I said. I wasn't interested in extending Egypt's territory. If it came to that, I would, but I would just wanted to see Persia given to someone who would care about the people, someone to fix the corruption of the government.

Alex looked like he was going to blow a gasket out of the corner of my eye. I knew what he was thinking. I didn't have a right to put Egypt on the line like that, but I had every right because I was Pharaoh. It really started to annoy me that everyone was underestimating me, that no one, not even my own advisers, trusted me. I knew exactly what I was doing and I also knew that I could win.

"What makes you think that I'll risk my kingdom like that?" Emir asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Because this is the only way that you will ever get your hands on my throne, Emir. So you can take my offer now, or you can coward out. If I die here without settling this, I have someone ready to take my throne back in Egypt," I said. All right, this wasn't all completely true, but I knew Emir couldn't chance that I was lying. If I had someone else ready to take my place, Emir would be no closer to my throne and his murdering me would cause a war that was his fault and his fault alone.

Emir was silent for a while, watching me with careful, calculating eyes. Eventually he must have come to a decision because a sinister smile crossed his lips. "Very well, Pharaoh. A duel for it all," he said, waving one of his closest guards over. "Bring me two pistols and fetch Adam from the dungeons, will you? He should be here to watch his husband die fighting for him. Or, if he manages to live through this, maybe he can replace Adam as the guard's favorite plaything. He's certainly younger, prettier. I'll try not to kill him for the rest of you."

I scowled at Emir, hating him even more for forcing Adam to watch this. If what he said was true, I had every motivation I needed to kill him because he was allowing his guards to rape Adam… One guard brought Emir two identical pistols, each, I recognized, as having six bullets, just like mine. It took a while for two guards to bring Adam up and the sight of him caused mixed reactions within me. I was relieved to see him alive and wanted nothing more than to go to him and pull him into my arms, but he was sick, horribly so. His skin wasn't even white, it was gray and he was disgustingly thin. His ribs could be counted without physically touching him and his stomach dangerous jutted inward at the end of his ribcage. There was hardly anything keeping his filthy trousers up and his cheeks had hollowed out, his eyes sunken into his skull. The sight of his state terrified me and if he was my size, he would probably be even skinnier than me, which was definitely not good.

"Good of you to join us, Adam," Emir sneered, smirking like the bastard he was. "You're about to witness the fall of your nation and the fall of your husband as well. Drake and I have agreed to a duel but don't worry; I'll try not to kill him. Once he loses, he'll take your place so you can wither away and die while my guards still have a fun toy." It was so hard not to shoot him in the middle of his cocky rant. If I could avoid it, I wouldn't kill Emir, but I wasn't entirely confident in my abilities to restrain myself. I wasn't, by any means, a murdered but Emir's crimes against humanity were worthy of dead and if I was pushed, I wouldn't feel guilty over his death. I couldn't. Emir deserved no such kindness and I owed the bastard nothing.

Despite Adam's sickly appearance and, no doubt, real state, his eyes were wide. The normal bright blue that I often found myself swimming in were dull and gray now, but fear was unmistakable in his eyes. There was a man behind him, shouting at the guards who were handling him and I recognized him as the messenger that always brought Emir's proposals. This didn't shock me because he loved Adam enough to risk his own life in giving me secret messages. Of course he was taking care of Adam, of course he was protective of the man. I doubted Adam had been out of his sell since he was brought here and the sudden shock was just too much for him.

Emir stood opposite me. We stood along the path leading up to his throne, the rest of the guards and peers standing along the sidelines where they wouldn't have to be worried about being hit by the bullets we would soon be throwing towards each other. "Any ground rules, Pharaoh?" he asked, turning to face me. He checked his guns for the appropriate about of bullets. I would have done the same but I already knew how many times bullets were in my pistols already.

"No, just a basic duel. First to become incapacitated loses," I answered. My jacket and sweater were making me sweat, but it was now growing late and with the throne room being open to the elements, it made the room cold. "On the count of three?"

Emir nodded and glanced at Adam. "Count it out for us you pathetic old man," he hissed. Adam seemed distant, like he had buried himself in some pretend world just to protect himself. He was so much worse than I even feared and I was questioning if I would ever be able to make his life better. I couldn't dwell on it, I had a duel to win, but I knew that I wasn't going to be able to avoid confronting him. I always imagined our reunion would be a happy one but now I wasn't so sure.

Sebastian knelt next to Adam, pushing the guard who had tried to rape me away from him. His hands rested on Adam's shoulders. "Adam, you have to count, please…" he said quietly. Adam's eyes were hazy and distant and I could physically see him shaking. He looked at me, but it was more like he was looking through me.

When Adam first spoke, I could hardly even hear him. His counting was slow, timid and he never took his eyes off of me, but I couldn't return his gaze. I had to stay focused. Once Emir was taken care of, then I would go to Adam. It seemed like an eternity had passed in the few seconds that it took Adam to choke out "one… two… three…"

Both of my guns were ready to shoot and the second Adam said "three", I fired, jumping forward to bring me into a closer proximity to Emir. This is how I hunted, quickly with limited reaction time. It wasn't exactly the same now that I wasn't hunting an animal, but a man instead. Well, I used the term man loosely.

My first bullet missed and so did his. He was almost twice my age, slower than me and far too cocky to take me as a threat. It was completely easy to dodge his first bullet by jumping to the side. "You got lucky, you little bitch!" Emir shouted at me, again shooting in my direction. He was aiming for my eye, the left if I had to say, but again, it was easy to dodge to the side, rolling onto the floor. It took less than a second to spring back up, like something out of those old time ninja movies.

"Take this for luck you old bastard," I retorted, aiming for his right hand. It was all too obvious to realize that he was right handed, since he only used his right gun so far. The bullet hit his wrist directly, pulling a sharp cry of pain from his lips and a loud clatter as the gun fell to the floor. I took this opportunity to, again, approach him but it wasn't the smartest idea. He fired at me twice, the first bullet lodging into my right thigh and the other barely missing my head while I dropped to one knee. I refused to scream. There was no way in Hell that I would give this sick bastard the satisfaction of hearing me scream for him. My thigh would need tending to, but it wasn't lodged anywhere near a main arty and, for the moment, I wouldn't need to take care of it. It could be pushed off to the back burner.

"Can't take the pain, you silly child? Maybe you should have thought about this ahead of time!" Emir said, shooting again, but I sprang up, missing his bullet by mere inches, sending another bullet in his direction. It grazed the side of his head, nothing fatal but enough to be alarming and painful. Blood spilled down the side of his face and once I got a better look at him, I realized that he was in pretty bad condition already. The gun I disarmed still sat where he dropped it, his right hand a bloody and mangled mess. He was running out of bullets, but he was still a pretty decent shot with his left hand.

No time to start getting cocky, Drake, you still need to take him down.

My thigh ached, my whole leg hurt and I was limping, but I didn't let it effect me. "This will be the last time you underestimate me, Emir, I promise you," I hissed. We were only several meters apart by this point and the panic was clear on his face. He knew that he had underestimated me, but he wasn't ready to admit defeat. We pulled our triggers at the same time and we were really just too close to avoid the bullets. He was aiming for my eye, again but I was quick enough to divert the bullet to my right shoulder. It was nothing that would kill me but I could instantly feel the blood soaking into my sweater and spilling down over my chest.

However my aim was not to kill him. I aimed for his left hand and struck, leaving him unarmed and unable to defend himself. Once both of his hands were left useless and gunless, I took several slow steps towards him, limping heavily as the pain began to set in. "You do not deserve to live anymore, Emir," I hissed, my guns still raised despite my aching shoulder and leg. "You should die right here, right now… I should pull this trigger and put you out of everyone else's misery. However… now that you are defenseless and you have lost, I cannot justify your murder." I didn't lower my guns, I couldn't do that because he was still alive and a potential threat.

He spat blood at me and that set me over the edge. I shot again but didn't kill him. The bullet went into his side, right under the ending of his ribcage and he was on his back in a matter of seconds. "Consider yourself lucky to be alive and don't push me because I would love a reason to blow your brains out," I hissed, spitting on his now pathetic frame. He was curling in on himself, shielding himself from me and probably the rest of the world. "You lose!"

Then I heard laughing from within the tight ball that was now Emir. "You're foolish to believe I would honor our agreement, Pharaoh. You stupid child," he hissed. There was a gunshot behind me and a second later, the body of one of Emir's guards sprawled out on the floor beside me, shot in the back.

"Drake!" Cassidy shouted, rushing to me. All of Emir's guards, the guards that were armed, were now ready to attack. Cassidy's arm was around me in a matter of seconds and when I looked around, I saw that Adam was gone and so was Alex.

"What—"

"Alex… didn't trust that you would win and he took Adam out before the duel was over," Cassidy said. The fight seemed to last for years, but it had really only been a matter of seconds. I felt enraged that Alex didn't trust me and hurt too. He was saving my husband, seeming like the hero when that was my job! But I couldn't worry about it now because there were a dozen guns pointing at my guards and I. "The rest of us refused to leave you behind. You've been brilliant thus far but we need to figure out a way out of here…"


	42. Cracks Would Begin To Show

**Chapter Forty-One: Never Thought That The Cracks Would Begin To Show  
>Cassidy's POV<strong>

Bullets rained down around us as I clutched Drake's hand in mine, pulling him away from where Emir lay crumpled in a defeated heap. Chaos erupted as chunks of stone pillars and pieces of tile sprayed, digging at our ankles and dusting over our clothes. Shots were missing by the slightest inches, and the door leading out of the palace couldn't have been any farther away from us than it was right now.

Sweat slid down my face as Drake and I ducked behind a pillar. Twenty feet to the right, Darius, Nicholas and Carter were each ducked behind other pillars and planter boxes. They had their weapons drawn, sneaking glances back to return fire on the Persians. Beside me, Drake clutched his guns in both hands, fire blazing in his eyes, blood soaked in his clothes, yet his face was calmer than I'd ever seen before…

"We can't take them all, Drake…" I told him, glancing back before clipping a Persian in the knee. He feel with a pained howl.

"Like fuck we can't." Drake snarled, and I gripped the sleeve of his coat.

"Drake, listen to me. I know you're angry. I know you want to make them pay. But they outnumber us five to one, not including Emir. If we go now, we might have a chance of escaping with little injury…"

Drake growled softly, turning towards a guard who'd ducked around the corner. One shot and he was motionless on the floor in a puddle of blood. "Emir deserves to die, and so do all of these rat-bastard-lackeys of his…"

"I know, and I agree, but we can_not—_" I began, but Drake cut me off almost instantly.

"Do not tell me more of what we can and cannot do, Cassidy. I'm tired of this. If you deserve to flee, by all means, flee. But I will not. I am tired of running and hiding and feeling like a fucking coward, and I will not abandon my duty this time." I gaped at him, almost oblivious to the chaos behind us until a shot cut through the stonework inches from my ear. I locked my jaw, returning Drake's hardened gaze.

"I will not leave you," I said, my tone as firm as my quivering voice would allow. Drake's eyes shifted back and forth in mine before melting in a grateful stare. I nodded to him once before turning from my position behind the pillar, guns raised and fingers itching to pull back on the triggers.

Obviously, the Persians were not anticipating a complete retaliation. Most of them hesitated for a few brief and precious moments, and between the five of us, nearly ten guards went down before they could react. My shots were aimed low, more for wounding purposes than anything. Perhaps Darius, Carter and Nicholas held the same tactics as myself, but I could not be certain. Shots were fired back at us, and beside me, Drake took them down without a thought. Some of his shots hit chests and stomachs, severe wounds, but nothing fatal it seemed. I was glad of this; I knew Drake wanted revenge, but I felt relieved that he wasn't being completely merciless.

Another thought which came to mind was that these Persians were poor shots. Their eyes were either wide and anxious or shut in fear, and their aim was terrible as a result. Shots went wide, beyond reach of harm while ours were calm, practiced and relaxed. During our trip, we'd set up small pieces of rag fabric in various locations all over camp, taking turns at target practice. And, looking now at our shots compared to the Persians', our practice had done more than better our skills, it had given us a tremendous advantage. One by one, the men fell either in screams or muffled groans, and the walls echoed with the ringing of guns and bullets. Smoke swirled thick and heavy in the air, like a storm cloud on the sea.

I sighed heavily, dropping my arms to my sides as I looked around, seeing bodies soaked in red, heaped in moaning clumps against the walls and on the floor. Most of them had died of blood loss or injury. A few others were wounded but still very much alive. Those who were still breathing were clutching arms, legs, sides or shoulders, pale-faced and whimpering like dogs. Even with the living, the scene still looked like a gruesome massacre. I would have vomited if not for the firing of a gun and a pained howl to distract me.

I glanced to my right, realizing that Drake had gone off to the other side of the throne room. He duck around a planter box, and his gun fired again. There was another estranged howl, and I bit my lip a little at the sound. It was worse than the kind of screams that the other Persians had, guttural and full of agony. I shifted, moving across the floor to better see who Drake was attacking now. On the tile was a Persian guard trying to crawl away. Sweat and blood stained his skin and his clothes, and his eyes were wide and fearful. Despite all of this, I recognized him immediately.

Derek.

"Nowhere for you to run, bitch!" Drake growled. I trembled at the sound of a hiss underlying his tone. His eyes were black with blood lust, and for the moment that I looked upon him, I was utterly terrified…

Derek screamed again when Drake fire his gun at him. Both legs were mauled with bullet wounds that Drake paid no mind to as he dug the heel of his boot into Derek's calf. A sneer stretched across the young king's lips, making my stomach churn as he lifted his boot, kicking Derek onto his back. The guard's face was pale, eyes squeezed shut as he breathed shallowly through his nose.

Drake raised his gun, firing it off as Derek howled for mercy. "Mercy? Why should I show you _anything_ but what you deserve?"

"P-please, please, I-I-I was f-following or-d-ders…" I rolled my eyes as Drake scoffed.

"Fuck your orders! Fuck your king and _fuck_ your mercy! You showed my husband nothing but pain and foul rage, all because you were following orders?" Drake shot him again, earning another high pitched wail. "Fuck you! Your little guard-friends tried killing us as we made our way for what was to have been a peaceful conversation, then you tried to take advantage of me because you thought I was easy and defenseless, and you _still _expect me to show you mercy?" Another shot. "_FUCK YOU_!"

It took me a long moment to realize that Drake had dropped his aim. HE wasn't firing anywhere remotely close to Derek's face, chest, or even his stomach. No, Drake had his aim lowered to the Persian's groin, and he showed no emotion as he fired round after round off between Derek's thighs. The Persian flailed violently in pain, his voice cracking and cutting out as he screamed. Blood sprayed and soaked the floors before Drake finally stopped.

On the floor, Derek wheezed and trembled, his face ashen and pale. Blood clotted and spilled from between his lips as he stared up at Drake. The red-headed king's eyes were hard and cold, lips pursed in a grim frown. If he felt any remorse, he didn't show it. In truth, I highly doubted he felt any sort of pity for Derek. Gods knew he didn't deserve it in the slightest. He deserved pain and death, and the heat in Drake's gaze only furthered my belief that Derek's suffering wasn't going to end any time soon.

Soft, so soft I could hardly hear it, Drake began muttering in our ancient tongue, eternally cursing Derek's body and soul. His words were wrapped in hatred, dripping with venom as Derek coughed up blood. I watched as Drake raised his gun again, praying to the Gods that Ammut tear Derek apart until the end of time, and that he be shown the same level of compassion that he'd shown to the prisoners, to Adam. With a final curse, Drake fired one last time, putting a bullet in Derek's belly.

Part of me wished that Drake would have fired between his eyes, but I knew that, no matter how much he hated Derek, he would never stoop so low. Years ago, when Drake had chased down and killed Elijah for his attacks on Tommy, Adam and Alex, the entirety of it all had really shattered the young king. For the longest time he'd felt that he had brutally murdered Elijah, that he deserved to rot in the Underworld for what he'd done. In truth, Elijah deserved to die, just like Derek did, and Derek had done far worse damage that Elijah could have hoped to accomplish…

The final echo of whimpers and gun shots had never seemed so loud before. Every breath, ever shift, every dropped bullet case rang like bells and explosions in my head, and I sighed heavily. Exhaustion pulled at me as Drake turned away from Derek's body, limping his way over to me. I'd almost forgotten hat Drake had been shot, himself, by Emir, but there was no pain in his face. There was nothing, really. No relief, no anger, no sadness. Just… nothing.

I tucked my arm around Drake, helping him lope along towards the palace exit. The room reeked of blood and smoke and I had to wonder what would become of Persia. They were now without a leader, and I couldn't imagine that a single soul would want to come and rid this place of the death that had soaked its way into the very framework and sand.

"We'll contact our allies, find someone who will be willing to clean up this mess Emir has made…" Drake mumbled as if he had read my mind. I nodded slowly, unable to form a single word let along a comprehensible response.

Followed by our own guards, Drake and I finally made our way out of the palace. The night had given way to the early streaks of dawn light, cool air kissing our faces. The air smelled clean and fresh, a wonderful alternative to the carnage that lay behind us.

Under the cover of a few sparse tress, Alex sat with Sebastian, Adam curled up in the messenger's arms. Even at a distance, he looked frail, borderline lifeless. I felt a twist in my gut as my heart clenched almost painfully in my chest. These bastards had practically destroyed my lifelong friend. Adam had always been so strong, so sure and secure. Staring at him now, he looked like an enslaved child, helpless and broken without a place to go or arms to fall into.

Under my arm, Drake tensed, his eyes locked on Adam. I knew he was thinking the same things I was, and I knew that all he wanted was to run to Adam and pull him into his arms and just hold him close. But he stayed at my side, riding and, if I wasn't paying close enough attention, I would have thought he wasn't breathing he was so silent. It wasn't until I followed his gaze for a second time that I realized his focus as changed, and the center of his tension wasn't on the battle or Adam's condition.

It was on Alex.

"Drake—" I began, but the redhead pulled away from my arms before I could stop him or get another word in. He limped towards Alex as fast as he possibly could before bringing a hand up and lashing it across the back of Alex's head. I stopped, staring wide-eyed at him. I knew Drake was angry, and I could hardly fault him for it. But I'd never seen him physically attack one of his own before. He'd always kept himself in check when it came to violence. At least, before today, anyway…

"Who the hell do you think you are, Alexander?" Drake roared, eyes blazing in fury. Alex staggered, confusion etched on his face. "How could you just leave us in there?"

Alex's expression changed, then, hardening into something like aggravation. "I felt no joy in leaving, if that's what you're getting at. I was concerned about Adam's safety. You were perfectly fine taking care of yourself and attacking Emir."

Drake clenched his jaw. "I see… While the rest of us fight of Persian forces, risking our lives, you get to play the fucking hero. Sorry, Alexander, but that's not how this works!"

"I wasn't going to stand by and do nothing, Drake—" Alex began, but Drake cut in before he could say more.

"You could have fought! You could have done your fucking duty and fought back with us against Emir and his men! But now! You were concerned about your own fucking skin and no one else's! And don't feed me that bullshit about being concerned for Adam's safety, Adam was completely out of harm's way!"

"How the fuck do you know whether or not he was "out of harm's way"? He was mere feet from where you decided to unload a clip at Emir's fucking face!"

"Gods, for once, can you just trust me? Can you trust that I do, in fact, actually know what I'm doing? Or are you incapable of that since you're so adamant to believe I'm nothing more than a pathetic child?"

"That's just it, Drake! You are just a child! Throwing yourself into a duel, not only putting your life on the line, but you nearly got the rest of us killed today! And not even today, but yesterday on our drive here! If you hadn't been so determined to come all the way here, none of this would have happened! You need to stop having this psychotic belief that you're this indestructible and immortal thing, because you're not!"

"Enough, Alex!" I shouted, but neither Alex nor Drake seemed to have heard me.

"You little _bitch_, how _dare_ you speak to me like that! You think I wanted to be here? That I wanted to be pharaoh and fight? Because you're fucking wrong! I never wanted a moment of this, but I've been entrusted with this position, and you _will_ show me respect or by the will of the Gods, you _shall_ be removed from your position! You need to learn your fucking place!"

Alex's eyes flared and I hurried to his side, grabbing his arm. The brunette was trembling with rage as he turned his attention to me. "Calm yourself, Alexander… This isn't the place or the time for this. We're all tired and we've been through a lot these last few days. Please, stop this fighting…"

"Like fuck I'll stop!"

"Learn your place!" Drake repeated, a vein rising in the surface of his throat as he shouted.

"My place? I _know_ my place, you little brat! My place has been defending your childish ass and covering for your mistakes for the last year!" Drake was infuriated, and it was a wonder he hadn't simply exploded yet…

"Keep it up and you'll lose more than your job, Alexander! I am _not_ in the mood for your bullshit today!"

"You can't seriously expect me to bow down to you again! I've done my job, I've voiced my concerns, I've offered my best options and you've done nothing but shoot me down and shun me for it! I'm sick and tired of you flaunting your power—power that's not eve rightfully yours! Power you don't fucking deserve! Adam was a fool to write his country over to you, because you've done a fucking piss-poor job of keeping it together! Adam would be ashamed of you!"

I gasped, staring hard at Alex in disgust and disbelief for a moment before glancing back at Drake. His face had lost all of the emotion and color in it, but his eyes betrayed the universal war that was boiling and swirling, moments from erupting into fire and chaos. The air was cold and heavy around us and I stared at the king, watching him with such a scrutiny that it was a wonder I wasn't bearing into his soul yet.

In a moment, a single moment, I watched Drake shift his position. He half-crouched into a defensive, stance, hand reaching to the holster on his left hip. He was going for his gun and I felt my heart try to catch up with my body, pounding hard as I surged forward to stop him. Part of me wanted to just let him attack, as Alex had crossed such levels of disrespect that he deserved whatever Drake wanted to do to him. But I couldn't let him. It was one thing for Drake to shoot down and maul the Persian guards, they had been our enemies. Alex was Egyptian. Alex was a friend, at least, he was supposed to be. And Drake's eyes betrayed that he wanted nothing more than to put a bullet in the brunette's skull.

"Drake, don't!" I shouted, watching as he raised his gun, pupils blown black, face pale and almost ashen. Ashen?

I crashed into him, knocking his gun away. He growled, pushing at me with such weak force that I barely moved away from him. I looped my arms tight around him, half-carrying him to the wall that surrounded the palace, pressing him into it, my hands pinning his shoulders against the brick. I was careful to avoid the bullet wound that was gaping there in his right side, and I stared into his face.

Sweat clung in a light layer on his cheeks and forehead, his lips pale-white and heavy shadows under his eyes. I frowned, my heart in my throat as I palmed his cheek with one hand, gasping as I felt how cold he was before going to lift the other when I saw red smeared on my palm. I glanced at his shoulder wound, seeing blood soaked into the cotton and leather of his clothes. His pant leg was soaked where he'd been shot in the thigh. I lifted my gaze back to his face, seeing exhaustion. But it wasn't like any regular exhaustion… Drake was gasping for breath and fighting to keep his eyes open.

"Drake?" I said, gently holding him against the wall as I watched his feet slip. He wasn't holding himself up anymore. I touched his throat before pushing my hand under his shirt, touching his chest.

He was cold, rapidly getting colder even in the early-morning warmth of the desert. I felt my heart begin to race again, thudding heavily against my ribs. "Drake? Drake, come on, stay with me… Stay with me, baby, come on…" I slipped, holding Drake close as I laid him down beside the wall, his head pillowed by my coat.

"Can't…" Drake wheezed, eyes closing slowly.

"Yes, yes you can, come on.. come on, look at me, honey. Look at me, focus, fo— _Sebastian!_" I howled, hearing the messenger's footsteps as he came over. According to Drake's letters from Adam and even from the messenger, we had learned that Sebastian was a doctor. If anyone could help Drake, it was this man.

Sebastian knelt at my side, his expression reserved, professional even, as he checked Drake's pulse, ripping open the young king's shirt and pants to inspect the wounds. Blood soaked Drake's paling skin and I felt myself tremble, the desire to vomit growing stronger by the moment.

"We need to go, now." Sebastian said firmly, helping lift Drake up into my arms. I cradled him close as the doctor took up my jacket, draping it over Drake, no doubt to keep him warm.

"Why, what's happening?" Someone else called, but I wasn't paying attention to who. I knew what Sebastian was going to say, even though I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't… I couldn't because it was too much… It couldn't be happening…"

"Drake is dying. We have, maybe, five minutes before we lose him…"


	43. Daddy's Flown Across the Ocean

**Chapter Forty-Two: Daddy's Flown Across the Ocean  
>Sebastian's POV<strong>

Watching Drake fall was like… Watching helplessly as the last shining star in the sky fade into nothing, leaving only an endless black. We were all so worried about getting Adam and ourselves out of the palace that we never took notice to the injuries Drake sustained in his duel with Emir. He handled them exceptionally well for someone of his size, but now I was cursing myself for not paying better attention. As a doctor, I should have known how dangerous a bullet to the thigh would be if left unchecked and when he went down, I was afraid. Not just for Drake, but for Adam and for the rest of us.

Drake was obviously important to everyone, but he was the only thing that kept Adam going while he was locked up. After Derek raped him, not even thinking of Drake helped to keep his spirits up. If Drake were to suddenly die? What then? Adam wouldn't be able to handle it. He'll probably just give up completely and let Death claim him. If Death wouldn't take him, he would find a way to meet Death personally.

I could not allow this to happen.

Over the course of the last year, I spent every waking day, every single moment I could spare, keeping Adam alive and well. Every single day I told him to be strong and I helped him as much as I could. Even though he was merely a few years younger than me, I adopted him as my own son and I repeatedly promised him that I would get him back to his lover and his country. If Drake died here, I wouldn't be able to properly reunite them and what would Adam have to live for? He already cried "just let me die" on most nights. If Drake left this world and Adam behind, there would be nothing to keep him from following after the beautiful, young redhead.

"Drake!" Cassidy was shouting, trying to keep the young king awake and, basically, alive. "Drake, you have to keep your eyes open! Keep your eyes on me, Drake, we're going to help you but you cannot fall asleep. Please stay with me, baby, please!" There were tears clinging to the adviser's eyes and if I weren't a doctor, I would have been in the same boat. I really didn't know Drake very well, only what Adam told me about him anyway. However I felt like I was, in some way, attached to the boy—it was hardly fair for me to refer to him as a boy after everything he'd done the past year—like I should know Drake inside and out. There was something about him that drew me in and I couldn't understand it. There was absolutely no doubt that he was beautiful and brilliant, but that wasn't what I admired so much. It was almost as if… Oh no, that just sounds so ridiculous.

"We have to get him to a proper hospital, Cassidy, now. He's only got a few minutes before he bleeds out," I said calmly. It wasn't that I was heartless; I just knew how to deal with such situations. If Drake really did die, I wouldn't show my emotions until I was alone and locked away from everyone else. Unfortunately being a doctor did give me the skills to make it seem like lives lost didn't affect me, that they didn't matter. That simply wasn't true, but I had to lock my emotions away to do my job properly. "There's a hospital about five blocks away. We need to get there in the next two minutes. Get Drake onto your bike, the rest of us will follow."

Adam needed a doctor as well but he wasn't literally dying. Cassidy looked like he wanted to argue moving Drake in his condition, but I was a doctor and he knew that, so he simply picked Drake up and rushed down to the bikes they rode in on. Alex helped me to get Adam to another bike. The other adviser seemed to regret his early argument with the man, but he masked his emotions easily. I didn't know anything about this Alexander other than he was an adviser to Drake and looked almost exactly like him, just older. After that argument, I figured he would probably be in a lot of trouble later, but the most important thing was getting Drake to the hospital before he lost too much blood.

Cassidy had a hard time holding onto Drake while trying to drive a bike. I was having the same difficulty with Adam, but he was a little stronger than Drake and was actually able to hold onto me in some fashion. I hadn't noticed before, because I was so distracted by Drake hitting the ground in a pool of his own blood, but since Drake started bleeding out, Adam's eyes were locked on him. Lately his blue eyes had been hazy and unfocused. Now they were sharp and clear and stuck on Drake. He wouldn't look away, like he was transfixed on his lover. He hadn't spoken but perhaps this shock was enough to bring Adam out of his horrible misery…

With the motorbikes, it didn't even take two minutes to get to the hospital, but Drake was still losing blood. His skin was so pale that he looked like a ghost. Death was knocking on his front door and Cassidy simply had to carry him into the hospital. The redhead was small. I couldn't imagine that he weighed more than one hundred and twenty pounds.

"Help! Help us please!" Cassidy was shouting when I was helping Adam through the front door. He needed a doctor as well, but he wasn't actually dying, he was just severely malnourished. A nurse was at Drake's side in a moment, paging for a doctor to come with a stretcher.

"This man also needs medical attention," I said calmly, helping Adam limp over to where Cassidy held Drake. "These two men are the rulers of Egypt. The redhead is dying and if this one doesn't get help soon, he's going to die too. Please, they need immediate attention and you _have_ to keep them together." Adam's eyes were still locked on Drake. Drake was barely conscious, let alone looking around, but for Adam's concentration to be so intent on the young man… It was an improvement in his behavior and he needed to stay with Drake. I was afraid of what would happen if they were separated.

The nurse didn't question me. She didn't bother telling me that once the two were put under anesthetics that it wouldn't matter if they were in the same room or not, they would never know. She just agreed to keep them together. We got Drake onto the first stretcher that came because if he didn't get help in sixty seconds or so, he would be dead. Once a second stretcher was brought out, we got Adam onto it.

I held his hand for just a moment, squeezing it to reassure him. "You'll be with Drake, okay? I promise, you'll be okay and as soon as they tell us we can see you, I'll be back by your side, okay?" I said, squeezing his hand again. He stared at my face, nodding just barely. It was more of a response than I got in weeks.

Soon both of the kings were wheeled away and out of our sight, leaving Cassidy, Alex, Drake's couple of guards and me in the waiting room. We didn't have much of a choice but to wait now. Even though I was a doctor, I didn't work in this hospital. I wouldn't be allowed to roam the hospital or anything, so I sat with Cassidy and I waited. Alex sat for a while on the other side of the room with the guards sitting in the middle. They were still on guard, watching the entrance like hawks to make sure that no threats came for Drake, but nothing would come. Drake had won.

"You've been taking care of Adam and I thank you so much for that," Cassidy whispered after a while of morbid silence. "Drake would be thanking you too if he were able to. I know he'll feel like he's in your debt forever."

"He owes me nothing. He's the Pharaoh of Egypt, after all. When Adam was brought to Persia, I couldn't help but take care of him. He's become like a son to me and I will never accept any sort of compensation for helping him. I just want to go back to Egypt, that's all," I told him and he smiled sadly. I knew it wasn't because of me but because he was scared for his friends. I wasn't entirely sure about Alex's relationship with Adam and Drake but it was very obvious that Cassidy loved them both very much. He was very protective and he was so frightened for them now.

"Well I'm sure that won't be a problem, in fact, I'm sure Drake and Adam will be more than happy to let you stay in the palace. Adam seems very attached to you and Drake will want you to be around because you're the only one who truly knows what Adam has been through over the last year," he whispered, crossing one leg over the other. He looked tired. In fact, the whole team did but they wouldn't sleep. Not until they knew if Drake and Adam were going to be okay. "Drake will want to repay you even if you don't want it. That I am completely sure of…"

I nodded and I knew what he said was true. Drake would feel indebted to me for caring for Adam while he couldn't. I supposed I really couldn't blame him. I wouldn't want to feel like I owed someone so much if I were the Pharaoh, but I really didn't want anything more than to go home and continue my relationship with Adam. There was no way I would be able to just… forget about him. Yes, I had two daughters of my own but they were fully-grown and starting their own lives. My wife had been dead for years. I didn't have much for me… Just my work.

"This is going to sound so strange," I said after a long while of silence. The guards had decided to rotate shifts for sleep so someone was always on guard while someone was getting rest. Alex was curled up with his back to the rest of us. I wasn't sure if he was asleep. My guess was no but we were all exhausted.

"What will?"

"Well… Every time I visited Egypt to deliver a message to Drake, I always felt like… Like I should know Drake on a personal leave, like I do know him in some way even though the only time I ever met him was when I was delivering messages to him for Emir," I explained but once it actually came out of my mouth, it sounded even more stupid than when it was just a thought buzzing around my head.

Cassidy turned to face me and for a while he just studied my face. "Well maybe… I mean this will sound just as crazy but if I understand what you actually mean you look just like Drake. Maybe you really are… I mean… Drake doesn't know who his father is. He was the product of his mother sleeping with her lover before she was forced into an arranged marriage."

"You aren't suggesting that he's my son, are you?" I asked.

"It's… possible. To be honest, you're the perfect age. Did you ever sleep with someone right around when you were eighteen? According to what Drake and his mother say, he was also set up for an arranged marriage but they wanted to at least spend one night together. The way Drake looks at you, it's like he feels the same connection you feel," Cassidy explained.

My heart was pounding so hard, my ears started ringing. The situation he just described sounded so perfect. It was true, Drake looked so much like me, and he just had a more feminine touch that made him absolutely breathtaking. Now that I thought about it, he did look like her as well… "What was his mother's name?"

"Her name is Roza. She lives in the palace with the rest of her children. Drake is the oldest and the only one who doesn't know who his father is…"

"Roza? Oh… Gods…" I whispered, my eyes round but basically unseeing. Nothing else mattered at that moment because I just learned that Drake, the Pharaoh of Egypt, was my firstborn. He was my son and I never even knew about him. If I had known, I never would have left Roza. I already regretted not fighting for her and now… Now I knew that our only night together produced a child?

But we used a condom…

"She was your first love, wasn't she? You… You really are Drake's father, aren't you?" Cassidy whispered, his eyes never leaving me.

"Yes… She was my only love and I can't believe I actually got her pregnant. Oh Gods, if I had known…"


	44. Gotta Get To You

**Chapter Forty-Three: I'm Calling Out, Gotta Hear An Echo, Gotta Get To You  
>Adam's POV<strong>

Sleep had been restless. Meals had not satisfied. Words had fallen mute and any desire left had been burnt out. Desire for necessity, desire for peace, desire for freedom, desire for love. They had been ripped away, set alight and left to burn until the ashes were kicked up and tossed to the sea. Whatever might have been left was nothing more than a fragment, a shell, a shadow, completely incomplete in its entirety.

The human soul can only take so much. The heart can only suffer as much as the minds of others want. When everything else starts to turn, starts to fail, so does faith. So does love. So does the hope to be near, to be whole, to be together again. Too long Heart had been without its basic essentials; Courage had been the victim of aggression and depraved of Reason. For too long, I'd been alone. 

And so I'd followed suit of my heart. Of my courage. They'd begun to fail, so I withdrew, and waited for the rest of me fail with it. 

Whatever might've happened, I could not recall. I remembered witnessing many things, many similarities and differences. But I could not reimagine them. I could not describe them. If I were ever asked to recount the horrors I'd seen and felt, I could only put it into a word. A single-syllable phrase that, for some, would seem vague, but for others it would serve the depth of the universe. 

Pain. 

The memories were hardly more than a blur, small moments standing clearer than others. Words were muddled, gurgled in murky waters, vengeful phrases piercing sharper than the rest. Everything had become compact, pressed together until I could not discern how long I had suffered, if there had ever been a moment of peace, if I was truly, absolutely, free. So many nights I'd dreamt-back when I could dream-of safety, of freedom, of anything that wasn't pain and hate that it seemed almost implausible that I could be free now.

A part of me refused to believe it, that I was safe at last. There were mere flashes of arms, hands, faces, an open stone floor. Images that blurred by, accompanied by the shrill of gunfire and screaming. More hands, hushed voices, and the shrieking had died out as the cold night air touched my face. Urgent words, tears and happiness; though it was a presence I was familiar with, it could not draw me out. It could not make me speak. 

Darkness turned to light and more voices approached. Hands touched me, gentle and warm. Shouting erupted all around, the voices sounding so familiar.. I could hardly make out the words, vicious curses and pained retaliations tumbling over and over, back and forth like spitfire before something hurried, panicked and utterly terrified shot through me, making me tremble violently, jerking in such a way that was painful as I had been immobile for months. 

"Stay with me, Drake! You can't fall asleep!" 

I had recognized the voice instantly. Cassidy. And in that moment it seemed as if everything shattered and fell back into place for me. Like a wall that had been built up just came tumbling down. I looked, truly looked, towards my lifelong friend, clutching my love-my Drake-in his arms, shaking him, crying and yelling for him. His face was stricken with grief, covered in sweat and dust, tears streaking down his cheeks. In his arms, Drake was white with faded eyes, parted lips, soaked in blood... 

For the first time in months, my heart hurt. 

That felt like forever ago... Since that moment, I could not take my eyes off of him, off of Drake. I feared, truly feared, that if I looked away for even a moment I would lose him. And to be so close, close enough to touch... 

Try as I might, I could not reach him. The strength to move, to even crawl to my beloved was lost to me. I sat helpless as his eyes drifted shut and Cassidy pulled him closer before I felt arms around me, pulling me to my feet. I was practically carried to a bike, Alex behind the bars and Sebastian behind me, holding me against him so that I would not fall. 

Morning light had been coming quickly and gold rays glittered across the sand as we rode. The whole way I kept myself pressed to Alex's back, watching Cassidy cradle Drake as he drove. My heart was doing flips and dives in my stomach, and I felt myself tremble as we neared the hospital. 

The rest of it was a hectic blur. Cassidy carried Drake, calling for immediate assistance while trying to keep my love awake and alive. Sebastian held me in his arms, no doubt staring at Drake as the nurses came rushing down with a stretcher. Sebastian spoke to one and I was laid down on my back, a blanket draped over me to help keep me warm. 

"...dying...need immediate attention...have to keep them together..." 

Fragments of words graced my ears; my eyes were still locked on Drake. His own were shut, his head turned my direction. Inside, my heart was beating itself against my ribs. If the entire center of my focus wasn't on Drake, I would have curled away, disgusted that they could all see me. See me like this. But I held no worry nor care, other than for the well-being of the young man on the stretcher beside me. 

We were wheeled into a room, each of us lifted onto a massive bed to share. The doctors wasted no time, ripping my love's clothes open to get to the wounds. His creamy colored skin was deathly white, stained red against his thighs, his chest and shoulder. Something soft and strangled sounded before I realized that it was my own voice, my own heart, whimpering and stuttering at the sight of someone so precious, do strong, lying upon a bed of death... 

A hand took my arm, squeezing it gently. I dared not turn, dared not look from Drake. I couldn't. Not now. Not when I could touch his hand with the tips of my fingers. Not when I could feel the iciness of his skin. Not when he looked like... oh, Gods.. 

A cool prick made my arm twitch, and a rush of fire and ice gushed into my veins. I groaned deeply, trying to pull my arm away. The hand tightened, holding me, and I tugged again, grudgingly tearing my gaze from Drake to the woman clenching a syringe whose needle was buried in my skin. 

I opened my mouth to speak, to tell her to stop, to let me go. But my tongue felt heavy, thick in my throat, and I could only sound a guttural moan. My eyes slipped shut as I attempted to pull away one last time. To no avail, she held me firm, and the world closed black around me, a heart monitor beeping weakly nearby... 

For a long while, there was darkness. Warm, succulent, and silent darkness, swirling around like water and smoke. The world was dreamless, an open sea of black that faded in and out before I was able to open my eyes. 

The lights of the room were soft, warm and gentle. The walls were creamy though bare, a large window off to the left. The curtains were drawn to keep out what looked like an afternoon glow off the sands. 

Blanketed and dressed in a white shirt and trousers, Drake lay beside me in silence. Breathing tubes were pushed gently into his nose, the excess tucked around his ears. An IV was taped into the crook of his arm, a plastic clip fastened around his finger to monitor his heartbeat. It was steady, soft, almost hypnotic. 

I lifted my gaze to his face, seeing the dark shadows that bruised his eyes, the paleness of his cheeks, how they seemed a little sunk in when once they'd been boyishly round. His hair, flaming red with hints of gold, now seemed dull and flat against the pillow, dirty and limp. His lips were parted softly, the fullness of them pale, and the skin dry. Never before had I seen him so lost and sickly. Never had I seen him so close to death... 

I bit my lip, stifling the quiver of pain that clenched my throat, squeezing mercilessly. I pushed my hand across the short space between us, gently touching his palm with my fingertips. His skin was warm, though that could have been because of the room temperature. 

Gently I pressed my fingers to the curve of Drake's palm, tracing down towards his wrist until I could feel his pulse beating against my fingertips. It was gently, steady, matching the monitor's incessant beeping, but.. there was more comfort this way. Feeling his heart beating against my touch, feeling my own change its rhythm to match his. 

I kept my hand under his for a long while, relishing in the sensation of having our hearts beat as one. I allowed myself to drift, eyes slipping shut as I followed the rhythm of Drake's heart. I let my grip tighten some, holding gently to his wrist, like anything less would make him slip away... 

"Adam..?" it was soft. So soft I thought I hadn't heard it, until Drake spoke again. His tone was tentative, hesitant even. I opened my eyes, finding Drake's bright blue ones to be watching my face. "B-baby...?" 

I stared at him for a long time, letting myself get lost within his gaze. I'd given up hope that I would ever see him again, and now... Now I couldn't bear the thought of being without him. Couldn't stand the idea of never staring into his beautiful eyes again... 

"Adam..love.." Drake reached up slowly, and I felt myself twitch. It had become a habit-anytime the guards reached out to me, I shied away. I knew, deep within I knew, that Drake was not those guards, but I couldn't stop myself. 

Drake's hand lingered in the air, his eyes touched with concern and hurt, and for a moment I hated myself again. I brought my own hand up, taking his, bringing it to my cheek gently. Drake's fingers hesitated against my skin before spreading out slowly, caressing me. I smiled softly, leaning into him some. 

"Baby—" Drake began again, leaning in slowly. A flash of a memory crossed my mind and I automatically retaliated again, pulling out of his hold, my heart in my throat. Drake gazed at me, eyes hard, glistening with tears as he choked out my name. "—A-Adam..." 

My heart hurt, and I looked away, biting my lip hard enough to break the skin, to bleed. I didn't even flinch. Beside me, Drake sighed heavily. "I... I know you're hurting... I know, but, please... please, Adam.. come back to me.." 

I'm trying, I thought to myself. Gods, love, I am trying.


	45. Every Night and Day

**Chapter Forty-Four: Well I Think About It Every Night and Day****  
><strong>**Drake's POV**

When I dreamt about being reunited with my beloved Adam, it was always so cheesy and cliché. I always expected his eyes to go round with shock, like he couldn't actually believe that I was standing in front of him. There was supposed to be a gorgeous, goofy grin that would break out across his lips when he realized that I was actually standing in front of him. His arms were supposed to open wide and I was supposed to leap into them. We were supposed to star in our own, un-filmed dramatic romance.

This had been my only reoccurring dream that hadn't been a nightmare since Persian soldiers took Adam to their Hell on Earth. Information had come through Sebastian, telling me that Adam wasn't doing so well and that I needed to get him out, but I had been thinking like that since he was first kidnapped. Once I actually saw how horrible Adam's condition was, I had a very hard time believing it. There was no beautiful smile on his face. There was no happiness upon seeing me. All of the dreams I had seemed to fall apart the moment I walked into the palace.

From the time I decided to personally go to Persia, I knew that I would have to fight Emir. The duel had been my backup plan if negotiating didn't work (although I never truly expected negotiation to work. Emir was too desperate to start a war with Egypt). And I had been ready for it. What I wasn't prepared for was to see Adam stare at me as if I were nothing more than a stranger. The vacant, empty look in his eyes was what I expected from someone who was suffering from amnesia or Alzheimer's. His normal bright, crisp ocean blue eyes were dull and gray and they didn't even focus on me.

Obviously my husband not responding to me coming to save him was an issue that needed to be fixed. I needed to find some sort of solution to my problem. Adam was still living in a prison and I needed to bring him out of it. His mind had trapped him inside of a mental barricade to protect him from the abuse of the Persian soldiers and I somehow had to bring him back, show him that he was safe and with people who loved him. He needed to be reminded that he was the Pharaoh of Egypt, no longer a prisoner of war. He needed to know that his friends and family would take care of him. Above all else, he needed to know that I still loved him just as much as I did before he was taken.

That was all easier said than done. I knew what emotional and physical abuse did to someone's state of mind. Adam's abuse had been some of the most extensive I'd ever seen. Bringing him back into his normal life was going to be a challenge. A challenge that I willingly accepted with all of my heart, but I never predicted that I would get into such an intense fight with Alexander. I never expected to start bleeding out from a wound that didn't appear to be that serious. Death had always been a possibility and I had always been ready to die trying to save my Adam, but I expected to die during the initial battle, not get so angry with one of my advisors that I didn't even notice I was dying. After the fight I had with Alexander (I'm still too angry to call him by an affectionate, shortened nickname), I was seriously considering demoting him.

When I finally woke up with Adam next to me, after a doctor saved my life, I couldn't have been happier. The love of my life was with me again and, for a moment, I really did think that maybe things could go back to normal. Maybe Adam had just been too shocked to see us in Persia when he had been locked away from the world for so long. Maybe the battle between Emir and myself and then Alex going behind my back to sneak him out had just been too much, too quick. The trauma he had been through made him a little more than delicate and now that he was away from the dungeons and away from so much commotion, things were getting back to normal.

That fluttering hope swimming up inside my stomach didn't last very long. When I actually reached out to him, he backed away. When I touched him, he flinched. When I spoke to him, he just stared at me, as if he had forgotten our language. I begged him to come back to me and I really had been acting ridiculous. Begging wasn't going to make a difference, it just made me look foolish and desperate. But wasn't I both of those things? I didn't just want Adam back, I needed him back. There was a significant age difference between us and one day I knew I would have to let him go until I joined him in the After, but he was only forty! I was definitely not prepared to let him go. We still had years and years to be together, but part of me feared that I would never be able to heal Adam's mental damage. His body would heal, the doctors and nurses had already made huge improvements on him in the few days we had been in the hospital. He still had not uttered one word.

The doctor put Adam under for a while, to give him a restful, dreamless sleep. It was the middle of the day and all I really wanted to do was take Adam home. Hopefully once he was home, he would be more willing to come out of this shell he crawled into. However the doctor didn't want to let us travel until we were both in better health. As far as I knew, the guards and Alexander had their minor injuries tended too and were doing fine. The guards still took turns keeping watch over our party. I repeated told them this wasn't necessary but they swore to protect me and they would continue to do so.

Arrangements had been made for a plane to come from Egypt but that wouldn't actually arrive for a few more days. Mostly I had been left alone. There was a lot of me talking to Adam, well at Adam, but he didn't really speak. Sometimes it was like he wasn't even in the same reality as me and that terrified me wholeheartedly. If Adam was this far gone, would he ever come back to me? I had to believe that he would, but with every passing hour that I didn't hear the soft, sweet tone of Adam's voice, the more my faith would wear down even more.

I was trying to choke down some horrible hospital food when Cassidy knocked on the door. "Drake? Adam?" he asked. Cassidy had come to see us both every day since we woke up. Sebastian came with him sometimes and the guards would poke their heads in to make sure that we were all right but I hadn't seen Alex once since I passed out in the middle of our argument on the palace steps.

"Come in," I called, loud enough for Cassidy to hear me but not loud enough to disturb Adam, although I doubted anything would disturb him since he was so hyped up on drugs. "Adam's asleep though," I added as Cassidy pushed the door open and stepped into the sterile white room with Sebastian behind him. After that argument with Alexander, I tried not to dwell on what he had said, but there were some hurtful things buried in his list of insults. He told me that I was a child and looking around at everyone, I couldn't help but feel that way. Adam was thirteen years older than me and both of my advisers were around his age. The guards were a little younger, but not by much and Sebastian, even though I didn't really know him that well, was even older than Adam. I was just some snot nosed little punk who was wrongfully entrusted with power. After almost dying and having a lot of silence to think, I realized that most of what Alexander said was truthful and I didn't have anyone to tell me otherwise…

"How are you feeling baby?" Cassidy asked, sitting on the edge of my bed. He put a hand on the small of my back while I pushed the little table on wheels that was holding my lunch away.

"I've been better," I admitted, not actually looking him in the eyes. I had this weird notion that if I didn't look someone directly in the eye, they wouldn't be able to tell how miserable I was, but it never worked.

"I know you're discouraged about Adam, but he's just in shock, baby. He needs time, he'll come around," he whispered, rubbing my back gently. He reached over to pull the table back. "You really should finish your food, Drake. I know it's not that good, but you lost a lot of blood and you need to get your strength back." He even made me seem like a child…

"I can't stomach anymore of the crap, Cass. I want to go home." I wasn't exactly pulling away from his touch, but I didn't lean into him like I wanted to. The only person I really wanted this sort of comfort from was Adam. That probably wouldn't happen for a while, since he was so distant. I needed to be his entire support system without expecting much in return. Of course I was willing to do everything for Adam, but with the weight of Egypt still riding on my shoulders and my diminishing self-esteem due to Alexander, I wasn't entirely sure I was strong enough to balance all of this. There was no way I could let Adam down and I would die trying to do everything for him.

"I know, baby, we'll be home soon," he said. He was just trying to comfort me by using "baby" as an affectionate term. Usually it didn't bother me, everyone in the palace seemed to call one another by baby or honey but now I was just finding it irritating. "Listen," Cass started up again after a couple minutes of silence. Sebastian had taken a seat at the end of the bed, eyeing me while Cassidy spoke to me. "Sebastian and I really want to—"

"Why are you staring at me?" I asked. My tone wasn't harsh or accusing but every time Sebastian came to visit Adam and I with Cassidy, he would watch me, as if he were fascinated with me. I was nothing special. That was made public a few days ago and Sebastian had witnessed it. Did he believe everything Alexander said? Was he staring at me because he was judging me?

Sebastian looked startled when I called him out. Since I hadn't said anything to him before now, even though he had been doing this since I woke up, he probably believed that I was just too stressed or tired to notice it. "Oh… Well…"

"That's actually, um, what we came in here for, Drake. We wanted to see how you and Adam were doing and all of that, but Sebastian and I have something really important to tell you. We wanted to wait until you were stable and recovering. We know that the situation with Adam is upsetting you and we can hardly blame you for that, but this is important. Keeping this away from you just isn't fair to you. You have a right to know," Cassidy spat out, easing the awkward tension between Sebastian and I some. This man was barely more than a stranger and he was sitting on my bed like he was my best friend. Just because he was Adam's friend didn't automatically make him mine. I was definitely grateful to him, but I wasn't ready to call him my friend.

"Okay? What's… What's going on?" I asked, almost hesitantly.

"Well Sebastian is—"

"It's all right, Cassidy, I'll tell him. I should," Sebastian said, slowly moving to a chair that was next to the head of my bed. "Drake, I don't expect you to warm up to me right away. You and I don't know each other well and I hope that will change soon. Adam has told me so many wonderful things about you and from what I've seen you are a magnificent person… What I'm about to tell you isn't going to be easy for you to hear, or even to accept but try to hear me out, all right?"

Suddenly I was afraid of this man's criticism. Alexander was supposed to be one of my closest friends and look at what happened between us. Was Sebastian about to tell me that I really was an idiot? That I was immature and that I needed more help than I was willing to admit? Was he really brave enough to say such things to the current Pharaoh of Egypt and was I even fit to keep that title anymore? I just didn't know anymore.

"Okay?" I whispered, glancing at him. We locked eyes for a moment and I had an odd sensation of looking into a mirror that reflected an image of an older version of myself. Sebastian was very tall, taller than Adam, but he had the same eyes as me. His face was shaped the same, with the same bone structure and if my hair wasn't so heavily dyed, our hair would have matched in that luscious, chocolaty color. No wonder Adam bonded and clung to this man. He looked just like me…

"Cassidy told me about how you didn't know who your father was. That your mother was pregnant before she got married and that you never got to meet your father. He told me all about your mother, Roza, and…" He had to pause to take a deep breath. His eyes floated away for a moment but then he focused back on mine again. "Roza was my childhood sweetheart. We were in love and the night before my arranged marriage, I slept with her. I'm your father, Drake."

My throat ran dry. What I was expecting compared to what was actually said was enough to throw me into shock. A few prominent feelings occurred to me. I should be excited to finally know who my father was. I should be angry for this man leaving my mother. Both of them had arranged marriages but couldn't they protest to be with one another? How could my grandparents be upset with my mother for wanting to marry a doctor? I should be happy that I was finally being united with my father, but I was just stuck in a state of shock.

"Excuse me…?" I croaked out. My throat suddenly felt like it was closing in on me.

"I know… I know, it's shocking, but it's true. I was and still am very much in love with your mother. Now that I know about you, I feel completely terrible. I mean, I always felt guilty for never fighting to be with your mother, but we were both forced into arranged marriages. We both agreed that if we were to defy our families we would not only shame them and ourselves, but it would put us in a position of guaranteed rejection. Moving away would have been too expensive, especially if people were refusing us work… It sounds like I'm making excuses, I'm sure, but Drake, Ra, if I had ever known about you, I would have fought tooth and nail to stay with your mother despite the consequences. She never told me that we conceived. I assume by the time she found out about you, she was already getting ready marry the man you thought was your father. When I found out I was your father, I felt so completely guilty… I should have been there for you. I should have always been there. You should have had a father and I can only hope that one day we can grow close."

"I…" I started to say but what was there to say? I was still too shocked to really process what he was saying. Instead, my brain absorbed it and stored it away for processing at a later time. This was just too much, but something did occur to me. He said he was still in love with my mother. "What about your wife? Kids?" I whispered merely because I couldn't actually comment on how I was feeling. Confused, slightly disgusted, shocked, slightly excited, happy, angry. It was all one giant pool of swirling emotions mixing together in one unrecognizable sum.

"I have two girls, both only a couple of years younger than you. They're both fully grown, married and my oldest has a daughter with another one on the way. My wife died in childbirth and I raised my daughters on my own. I considered going to find your mother when my wife died, but your mother was married and it didn't seem right to try and replace my daughters' mother so quickly. I had no idea that Roza's husband passed away, but I've been forced into working in Persia for years," he explained and slowly reached a hand over to rest against my thigh. "Drake, listen, I know this is a lot to process, especially on top of everything else that's going on in your life. It's… It's a lot for me too, but ever since the first time I delivered a message from Persia and I saw you, I felt like I knew you, like I should know you. It sounds stupid, I'm sure, but I think that was some sort of blood bond…"

My eyes locked onto his hand, still resting against my uninjured thigh. "It doesn't sound stupid," I whispered, closing my eyes for a long while, breathing evenly through my nose. Now I was just trying to make sense of all this and keep my thoughts organized. My emotions were already jumbled together; I really didn't want my thoughts to be like that too. My efforts were failing. "Because the truth is, I felt like that every time I saw you too. I didn't think much of it… And I'm sorry. I'm not sure what type of reaction you're expecting. I just don't know what to make of this right now."

"I understand, trust me, I do. You have a lot to worry about right now but I want you to know, I wish I could have been there for you when you were a child. I should have been there to be your father and I know I can't just step into that role now, but I hope that we can work at it," he said softly. I looked him in the eye for a moment, searching for sincerity. I saw it and I nodded a little, but I didn't want to talk about this anymore. I didn't want to talk at all. Sebastian smiled softly at me and kissed my forehead. "Try to get some rest. You're still recovering and you need it." I nodded again and Sebastian stood up to leave.

Cassidy lingered for a little while longer. "He really does want to make up for not being there, Drake. He's excited to see your mother, hopefully reconnect with her, but he really wants to build a relationship with you," he said softly once Sebastian was gone and the door had closed.

"I… I know… I just don't know how to deal with this right now. With still being Pharaoh even though it's been made obvious that I shouldn't be, trying to snap Adam out of this state of being locked up inside of himself and just trying to physically recover from everything… I'm exhausted. I feel like I'm cracking and soon I'll be crumbling," I told him. This brought a frown to his lips and he tucked a finger under my chin so I had to look at him.

"You are a wonderful Pharaoh, Drake. Everything Alex said in the fight was just him lashing out because he's jealous of you and what Adam entrusted you with. You are an amazing Pharaoh and don't start doubting yourself now. You are strong enough for Adam and for yourself. Don't ever believe anything other than that. Alex is the only one who thinks what you did to handle Emir was immature and inappropriate. The rest of us think you were amazing. We all know there wasn't really another option. You tried everything else before you did what you had to. You are brilliant," he said, staring me in the eye the entire time. I wanted to look away, but he wouldn't let me, like if I stared into his eyes long enough I would accept his word as gospel.

"Thanks Cass," I muttered quietly, tears stinging my eyes. He smiled and pulled me into a hug. All I could do was hug him back.


	46. I'm Forced To Face The Truth

**Chapter Forty-Five: I'm Forced To Face The Truth**

**Alexander's POV**

"Here you are, sir," a nurse said gently, but her tone was clipped, tired. I wondered for a moment if, by some happenstance, that she knew of my part in the events at the Persian fortress. If she knew of the things I'd said to Drake, of the names I'd called him and how I said Adam was a fool to leave everything to him. I wondered if she had any idea at all just how horrible of an individual I truly was.

She left a plate of food on the tray beside my bed. A steamed potato, chicken that looked as if it had seen better days, assorted vegetables, a chunk of bread and some water. I wanted to wrinkle my nose and push it away, but the growl of my stomach and the reminder that, for a year, Adam didn't have even this luxury made me draw it closer. I mumbled a soft "thank you" to her before watching her leave from the corner of my eye.

We'd all been here for several days now, myself, Cassidy, Sebastian, Nicholas, Darius, Carter, Adam and Drake. Every now and then the guards would come by to make sure I was alright. I told them over and over that there was no need for the check-ups, but they insisted. Sometimes Cassidy would come to visit me, to inform me of Drake and Adam's condition. Both of them had made marvelous recoveries, but needed a few more days before they could return home to Egypt.

From what Cassidy had also told me, Adam still hadn't said a word. Not to the doctors, the nurses, not even to Drake. He was silent and whenever someone tried to touch him, he would flinch or pull away. Apparently Cassidy had stopped by once to visit them, and Drake had set his hand too close to Adam's. The king had flinched and pulled away almost immediately. I remember when Cassidy told me that he started crying. Out of nowhere, he burst into tears in front of Drake and Adam, moaning about how he wasn't sure how to help them, either of them…

I felt bad. Not just for Cassidy, or even Drake, but for what I'd done. Over the past year. I felt bad for constantly berating and fighting with him. It had been my duty to aid Drake and support his decisions… But I'd completely failed him. No… I hadn't failed him. I'd practically betrayed him. I'd argued every order, degraded every decision, I'd made him feel incompetent and inferior, all because… oh, Gods… forgive me…

Sighing heavily, I ran my fingers through my hair. It felt greasy and disgusting, but I couldn't worry about it now. There were other more pressing matters at hand that needed my attention. No, not need, required. I needed to talk to Drake, to apologize for everything. And not even just for the things I'd said to him, but the things I hadn't said. The things I'd kept away from him out of shame, fear and regret. I had to tell him…

Slowly, I swung my legs off of the edge of the bed, completely ignoring the untouched food that was beside me. I stood slowly, wobbling some as blood rushed to my knees and toes. I snatched up the white cotton robe that was folded neatly on the chair beside my bed, slipping it on and typing it around my waist. Quietly, I made my way towards the door of my room, opening it before poking my head out into the hallway. I wasn't supposed to leave without doctor permission and a nurse's assistance, but I needed to talk to Drake. Well… I had to try…

Stepping out into the hall, I quickly hurried down to Drake and Adam's room. Cassidy told me once before that they were six doors down the left side and on the right from my room. Moving along as silently as possible so as not to attract attention, I passed each door with caution. The walk, itself, lasted only a few moments, but my was jumping and lodging itself into my throat the closer I got to the door. It felt like any second someone might come around the corner and catch me, and then I'd never get my chance. But I sighed in relief as my hands trembled and I reached for the knob of the door, touching the cool metal.

Why was I so nervous? Why was I shaking at the prospect of facing Drake? Of facing Adam? Why was my heart choking me, making me sweat beneath my robe? Other than my deep regret for how I treated Drake from the night Adam was taken to the night we saved him, I had nothing to be afraid of… Nothing. There was nothing. There couldn't be…

Clenching my jaw, I knocked gently, listening for Drake's soft voice before I opened the door. I hadn't even stepped inside when two sets of blue eyes locked themselves on me., One set was hardened and cold, dark even while the other remained rather neutral, gazing blankly without being vacant. My heart twisted as I turned my focus to Drake again. I had expected Drake to be mad at me for certain, but in this moment he looked livid. Like if he weren't bed-ridding, he would jump and attempt to strangle me.

Despite my nerves and my fears, I stepped closer to the,, trying to swallow the lump that had knotted itself around my windpipe and vocal cords. Trembling lightly, I remained standing in the middle of the room, some six or seven feet from their shared bed.

"What do you want, Alexander?" Drake's voice cut through me like a knife. It had been a while since he'd used that tone and addressed me as Alexander as opposed to Alex. I was suddenly reminded of when I'd first returned to the palace in Egypt, the fervor in which Drake hated me… Oh, Drake… if only you didn't love me now. I'd rather you hate me…

"I wanted to talk… to apologize for everything…" Drake rolled his eyes at me.

"Do you honestly believe I'll forgive you so quickly? Don't you remember what you did, what you said to me?"

"Drake, I—"

"You told me I didn't deserve my position, that Adam would be ashamed of me…" Hearing my own words like that left an icy grip around my heart. I'd spoke out of anger and vengeful emotions, but I knew there was no way to take it back now. What was said had been said and there was nothing I could do to change it.

Beside Drake, Adam was staring intently at me. The weight of his faze, the swirling orbs of ocean blue plucked at my heart strings, but the cause I wasn't sure of. I felt frozen in place for a long while, caught between staring back at Adam and looking away. I couldn't breathe until he shifted his focus to Drake.

"I know," I finally said, looking down at my feet. "I know, and… I can't begin to express how terrible I feel. I said horrible things out of anger, frustration, exhaustion…" …jealousy… "…and I know none of that excuses even half of what I said. I'm not expecting or asking for your forgiveness, Drake, because I know you won't give it lightly. I've broken a great deal of trust with you and it will be difficult if not impossible to ear it back, if I ever get the chance again…" I lifted my head slowly. "I just wanted you to know that I am, truly, sorry… for everything."

Drake's eyes were hard, his expression completely unreadable. For a year, I had degraded his decisions, argued his suggestions, and questioned his motives. I'd been the worst advisor and no amount of apologies would ever erase any of those mistakes. All I could possible hope for at this point was that he would understand my attempts to make right, even if he didn't accept or forgive them.

Adam remained silent, his eyes shifting back and forth between mine and Drake's. His cropped hair was a dusty silver color, his eyes tired and drugged. Other than the exhaustion and hesitation, Adam looked better than he had when we'd first seen him, dragged from the depths of a dusty and grimy dungeon. His body was still gaunt, bony and bent, but he no longer appeared as Death might have. He no longer looked like he was made of cracked glass.

His eyes found mine again, and my heart jumped into my mouth. I wanted to bite it, chew it up and spit it out onto the floor for making me choke so. The heaviness of his stare made me feel dizzy and suddenly weak. I clenched my jaw as I heard Drake sigh, and I forced myself to look away. Adam, why do you affect me so? Why now?

"I want to know why," Drake said, his voice hard. "Cassidy did not always approve of my decisions, but he supported me none the less. Why couldn't you?"

I couldn't answer him right away. I wasn't sure how, honestly. Well, that wasn't entirely true. I knew how to answer. I didn't know how to say it in a way that would be calm and gentle to hear. My thoughts and my secrets were pushing from behind my teeth, trying to force their way out. I looked away, choking back the words bubbling in my mouth. I felt like a coward… Gods, who am I kidding? I am a coward.

"Answer me, Alexander." I sighed.

"Because I was jealous." I told him before my cowardice could stop me. Drake's eyes widened and Adam's fixed themselves in a hard stare of disbelief on my face. I couldn't look at either of them.

"Jealous…?"

"I… My irrational behavior… my unwillingness to comply with your decisions… all of it was because I was jealous of you, of the power Adam had entrusted upon you. I felt I could do better, which is why I never agree with you on anything. I felt if I proved I could be a leader, then I would have a chance. I called you out on so many instances where I believed you had put us all in danger when, in reality, it was me. Had I trusted you, had I not been trying to compete with you, maybe certain things wouldn't have happened. I'm so sorry for all of it, Drake. I didn't want to hurt you, I just… I wanted something that was never rightfully mine to begin with…"

Drake's eyes were hard, hurt and glimmering with light tears when I looked up at him. His jaw was set and he was frowning slightly. I would have preferred it if he said something, anything. But he didn't. Drake was staring at me in painful silence, and Adam's eyes never left mine. In my peripheral, I could see that they were cold. I felt my heart begin to crack like an eggshell within my chest, but I had to remind myself that I deserved this. I deserved their distaste, their animosity, their hatred. I deserved more.

"I don't know what to say to you," Drake finally mumbled.

"You don't have to… I wish to resign from my position as advisor. My behavior to you warrants more, and I'll accept whatever My King wishes of me…" I bowed my head to Drake with the utmost respect, hoping that he would accept my resignation and allow me to leave in dismal peace. Naturally, I was not so fortunate.

"Alex…" Drake breathes, my shortened name falling from his lips as easily as the venom had not five seconds ago. "Alex, you don't…"

"No, I do. I'm not fit for this. I never was. I humbly request that I be able to remain at the palace, as it is the only home I have, but I understand if you wish me to go, and I will do so without argument. I will never return if you wish it of me…"

Before Drake could speak, a soft, rusty, unused voice came floating into the air. "This… was never about power… was it?"

I looked over at Adam when I realized it had been his voice, his words, filling the silence of the hospital room. That he had been the one to speak. Beside him, Drake was staring wide-eyed at his lover, shock and confusion in his bright blue eyes. Adam gazed, no, glared at me, waiting for my answer with little patience.

"No…" I finally said.

Adam watched me for a long moment before sighing heavily, his eyes tired, betraying his frustration and exhaustion. "You still won't let go," his words were soft, cracked and often hesitant, as if the very action to speak pained him. "Even after all these years, you refuse to let go…"

"I'm sorry, My King… I'm so, so sorry—"

"No, Alex…" Adam began, his eyes hard, grey like stone. "I-I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I can't give you something y-you shouldn't even want anymore.. I'm sorry I can't m-make you happy. But I'm…not yours, anymore. You're not mine… Drake is. I love him, and I will not leave him… for your sake." Tears stung my eyes and I bowed my head again to them to hide my shame.

"I understand, My King."

"Please leave, Alexander," Drake said softly. I could hear the anguish in his voice. "We will discuss this later."

I turned and left after bowing to them again, tears rolling, my heart broken on the hospital room floor.


	47. There's No Place Like Home

**Chapter Forty-Six: It's True What They Say, There's No Place Like Home****  
><strong>**Drake's POV**

A few days had passed since Adam first spoke to Alexander. I still couldn't believe what he had confessed to. He still loved Adam? More so just a friend? He was supposed to belong to Tommy. He was supposed to love _Tommy _and now I come to find that he's still in love with my husband?

I just wasn't sure what to think of Alexander anymore. Before Adam's disappearance, he was a close friend, a good advisor and a great companion. He was Tommy's lover and he claimed that he was over Adam and their former relationship. Adam no longer belonged to him and he no longer belonged to Adam. I was Adam's now and Adam was mine. To learn that one of my best friends had been lying about his feelings all this time? To learn just how jealous of me he truly was?

Well, truthfully I felt betrayed. Alexander was supposed to be one of my very best friends. He was supposed to be my advisor and now I felt like everything that we had built over the years was nothing more than one huge lie. If he still desired Adam's love, then how could we possibly continue to be friends? This is exactly what I had feared when Alexander first returned to the palace.

The only thing that reassured me that I was not in danger of losing Adam to my older lookalike was Adam himself. The first word he spoke was to tell Alexander that what they used to have was gone and that he loved me and wouldn't leave me. Part of me truly felt bad for the older boy, but too much of me felt betrayed to care much.

Besides, I had more important things to care about. Adam was speaking again and he was safe. He wouldn't talk about what happened to him while he was held captive and he wouldn't utter a word about the abuse and torture he went through. I understood that he needed time to adjust to being a king again. For so long he had been treated like he was the scum of the earth, he truly began to believe that he was just that. He forgot his origins and he forgot how truly magnificent he was. I needed to remind him of his glory and as long as he needed me to be his crutch, I would be it.

"Adam, darling, it's all right," I whispered for the hundredth time. Over the last few days, he had warmed up to my touch. He would hold my hand and even nestle into my arms. He was always tense at first, but he quickly learned that I meant no harm. We shared a few brief kisses, nothing overly passionate or heated, but enough to say that we were together again and that was all that truly mattered. "You don't have to talk about it yet. I know that you need time to just adjust. You'll talk about it when you're ready, Adam, and that's all that matters. You're safe, with me…" I reached out slowly and took his hands in mine, lacing our fingers together. He held onto me, looking into my eyes with orbs that reflected both suffering and happiness. He was still suffering his torment, but it was so obvious that he truly was happy to be with me again.

I wasn't the only one who began to doubt whether I'd ever seen him again.

"I want to tell you, Drake, I really do but I just…" he began to say and I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his gently. I didn't seek anything more than to tell him that I was there. "Baby…" he whispered once our tender kiss broke.

"Adam, darling, it's okay, it really is. I understand more than anyone how hard it is to talk about. I went through it all when Brad—" Even now I didn't like to talk about what Bradley had done to me, so of course I understood Adam's inner turmoil. I finally started to see the good that was coming out of what Bradley had done. What he did gave me the ability to help Adam now.

"I know you understand, Drake and I am so thankful for that. I'm not sure I could get through this if it weren't for you," he said softly, bringing a hand up to cup my cheek, the other still intertwined with my own. After about a week and a half of recovery in the Persian hospital, arrangements had been made for a jet to fly from Egypt for us. The doctors finally deemed us fit for travel. We would still need to relax and take it easy, but we were recovering exceptionally well considering how poor our health had been nine days ago, Adam more so than me. His health had been diminishing over the year; I was merely injured during the duel.

We were both dressed in royal dressings, nothing that was too flashy, but enough to mark us as royalty. The jet was here already. We were waiting for eventually to be set up for our departure. Cassidy and Seba—my father—were taking care of most of the preparations. My newfound parent was another issue I needed to deal with but just like Alexander, he would have to wait. Adam was my number one priority.

"I'll always be here for you, Adam, to help you through everything, all right? Always," I told him, nuzzling the hand that was cupping my cheek. It felt so amazing to have my lover touch me again. Sex wasn't even necessary, although I did miss that; I simply loved having Adam's hands on my skin again. Part of me feared I would never have it back.

A soft smile graced my husband's lips. He didn't smile often and never in mixed company, but this soft smile seemed to play across his lips whenever we were alone. He was content to be with me, but a group of people, no matter how small, was overwhelming for him. He was slowly adjusting though. "You are so beautiful… My memories of you didn't do you justice, my love," he whispered, running his fingers over my cheekbone. "You were the only thing that kept me fighting… The only thing that gave me strength."

"Adam…" I said bashfully, blushing deeply. Adam had been through so many traumas and over the last few weeks he had been through so much change and shell shock that he hadn't taken notice to the weight I had dropped. Before I had been too small, now I almost looked like I didn't eat. My skin returned to its former paleness. When I was first brought to Adam's palace at the age of eighteen, I was small and pale. I resembled that now and I was glad Adam didn't' seem to take notice of it.

"It's true, darling. I've miss your eyes," he whispered, his fingers stroking through my hair. He slowly pulled the gold and crimson locks into my boyish, lopsided ponytail and he smiled more. "My beautiful boy." I was so happy that Adam was growing so used to being with me again.

After a while, there was a knock at the door and Sebastian poked his head in. "Boys? It's time to go home. The jet is ready."

"Okay, we're coming," I said over my shoulder. "Just a moment." Sebastian nodded and disappeared just as quickly as he appeared. I stood slowly, grabbing a coat to drape over Adam's shoulders. "Did you know?" I asked him, helping him stand from the bed we had been sitting on.

"Know what, Drake?"

"That Sebastian is my father?" I asked. That stopped Adam in his tracks towards the door.

"What? No, I didn't know what. I thought he sort of looked like you but I didn't have any idea that he was… Oh, Ra…" I stood next to him, taking his hand in my own once again. We made our way out of the hospital room and towards the entrance we had been rushed through a few weeks ago. "How did you find out?"

"He told me. I guess he and Cassidy had been talking about the two of us and of my mother and they figured it out. I'm not—not entirely sure what to think, to be honest. I know that he didn't know about me until a few days ago, but he just doesn't feel like my father," I admitted. My father was a cruel man who was currently rolling over in his grave for being so wrong about me. He told me I would be worthless forever and that I would amount to nothing and be loved by no one special. Sebastian was just a stranger who used to know my mother.

The sun was setting as we exited that hospital and made our way down the steps to meet with the others. There was a small, private jet waiting there for us. Sebastian and Alexander must have been onboard already because I didn't see them. "Sebastian is a wonderful man, Drake and I'm sure that once you get to know him, you will love having him as your father. You deserve a father like him. He's sweet and compassionate."

"I know he's been good to you, Adam, but he's more of a father to you than he is to me," I muttered. As we neared the plane, we glanced at each other, silently agreeing to continue the conversation later. It wasn't exactly a conversation we wanted being overheard.

"Hello my kings," Cassidy said with a gentle grin. Adam gave the smallest, most sheepish of smiles and I smiled as well. "Are you ready to go home?"

"I think we've been ready for a while, Cass. We didn't even really want to stay to recover and you know that," I said and he smiled a little more.

"Well come now, it's finally time. Egypt needs the two of you back. Tommy says the whole palace is frantic at both of your absences, probably the entire country," he said, ushering us onto the plane. We walked up the ramp, boarding the plane with Cassidy following right behind us. The last to join were my guards. "It'll be a long flight, so try to get some rest you two," Cassidy said as he took his seat. There were two large seats waiting for us at the front of plane and a decent nap sounded fantastic.

I took the window seat and Adam sat next to me, his hand still in mine as our arms rested against the cushioned armrest between the chairs. "Cassidy's right, we should try to get some rest," I whispered to my lover, curling up in my chair. Adam agreed and eventually I feel asleep with my head on his shoulder, my fingers still laced with his. His head rested against mine and I slept longer than I planned. I awoke to Adam shaking me gently.

"Drake, baby, we've landed," he said quietly into my hair. I was shocked that I slept so long, but when I opened my eyes I saw that we were right in front of the palace steps.

"Oh, fantastic, everyone will be so happy to see that you're safe," I said, stretching slowly before standing up. Adam led me off the plane, still clenching my hand. My fingers were stiff from holding his hand for so long but I didn't dare remove my hand from his grasp. I knew that he was nervous and tense just from how stiff he was and how desperately he held onto me. Being crowded by a few people made him nervous, so it wasn't hard to expect that he was scared of being flooded with people and questions and relieved faces once we entered the palace. I hoped I would be able to get them all to give him some breathing room.

Once we ascended the stairs, sure enough, there was a small crowd of people. Tommy and Hiei were at the front of the group and Hiei instantly ran to Cassidy, throwing his arms around his older lover's neck. It had been a very real possibility that we were not coming back, that we could potentially die in Persia and now that we came back, relief rushed through all of them.

Tommy and my mother came over to us. Tommy only hugged Adam. No words were needed but the bond between brothers was enough and they hugged for a moment before Tommy went to Alexander, who lingered behind the rest of us. Tommy deserved to know the truth and if Alexander wasn't honest with him, I would be… But it could wait for the time being.

My mother quickly pulled me into a hug, crying and cursing me for leaving without telling her but I knew she was just terrified for my well being as well as Adam's and I hugged her tightly, reassuring her that it was all right. "My babies…" she whispered, finally pulling away from me enough to cup Adam's cheeks. "I was so worried about you, Adam… My son," she practically cried. I could tell that Adam was already overwhelmed by how many people wanted to rush over to him and after my mother's joyful and relieved crying had come to an end, I pulled her aside.

"There's someone else here who wants to see you, Mama," I said softly, pointing towards Sebastian. She gasped, staring at him for a long while before muttering something about explaining later and she rushed to the man who was apparently my father. Her arms were around him in a second and he held her like she was the most important thing in his life.

While I had pulled my mother aside, people decided to ambush Adam and I had to cut through the small crowd. "Guys, guys, please, give him some room to breathe. He's not comfortable with a lot of people yet, please give him space," I pleaded. No one seemed happy about me keeping them back but Adam needed to adjust before he had a dozen people in his face. I returned to his side immediately and took his hand once more. "We'll sit down and discuss what has happened later but for now Adam and I would like to bathe and have a few hours to recover from the long flight," I insisted. No one seemed pleased that, once again, they had to wait for us, but they all seemed to understand our needs and slowly I lead Adam away from the large group. Lovers were reuniting now and the focus shifted from Adam and I to one another.

I took Adam to our room, the room that held so many wonderful and beautiful memories and some very lonely and miserable ones over the last year. Now that Adam was home, I could begin to erase the last year from my memory. We could begin to fill each other with love again and close the holes in one another's hearts.

Slowly I pushed the double doors to our bedroom open and stepped inside, gently pulling Adam with me. Normally we would have been all over each other, kissing hungrily and stripping but now I simply put my arms around his neck and kissed him lovingly, nothing sexual about it. "Welcome home, my darling," I whispered into his lips and slowly his arms found their way around my waist, pulling me close.

"I am so happy to be home, my love," he whispered, burying his nose into my hair, taking a deep breath and sighing in contentment. "I forgot how much I loved the smell of vanilla…"


	48. Through The Dark There's A Way

**Chapter Forty-Seven: Through The Dark There's A Way**

**Adam's POV**

When my eyes fluttered open, I found warm brown stones and murals surrounding me. Warm sunlight was streaming through a sky-light opening in the high ceiling, warming the blankets and sheets that were draped over me. I blinked slowly, motionless as the rustling of dried leaves sounded from my left, a breeze kissing my cheek. The soft silence left me feeling comfortable, yet uneasy all the same. These walls were so similar to what I had seen and stared upon for months; had I never left Persia? Where was I? How did I get here? Where were the sounds of chains? Where was the drunken laughter, the tortured screams, the sounds of corpses being dragged across grimy stone floors? Where were the bars of my cell, the cold cot? How did I come by soft blankets and pillows in a room far too massive to be a prison holding?

My breath came hard, ragged, panic clenching at my throat. Had I been taken during the night? Had I been removed from my familiar cell, carted away and brought to service someone of high standing? Someone who would find pleasure in having a broken, used old man such as myself? Was my nightmare merely growing worse? I thought I remembered loving faces, gentle voices and touches. I thought I had seen my husband, my love; his gentle words still whispered into my heart, his hands in mine. Had I imagined it all? Some elaborate or drugged dream to ease my misery as my physical being rotted away?

I trembled, curling myself into a tight ball. The walls and murals felt familiar, but it was trickery. I wasn't home. I was still in Persia, I was still held captive. The memories of hospitals and family and a plane ride… It was all a lie. A fabricated story whispered into my ears as my consciousness dozed away, helpless to the beauty of what I so desperately longed. I was still a prisoner of war, twisted to the wills of sadistic men. I would never return home.

A sob choked itself from my lips as I squeezed my eyes shut. This was hell, pure damnation. The Gods had abandoned me and left me with naught but hopes and dreams of seeing my love, my Drake again. Yet the images, the words he'd spoken to me, the feel of his skin beneath my fingers and lips… It seemed so real, so vivid. I could smell vanilla all around me and I curled tighter as the bed I laid upon shifted beside me. Oh, Gods… Had my abuser come for me? What would he have? Derek made me scream, made me beg. Would this new, foul, loathsome individual chain me, force me to call him master and act as if I enjoyed him when he had me?

Whimpers tumbled from my lips as a warm, soft hand touched my cheek, sliding up into the monstrosity of my sheared grey hair. The fingers were soft, gentle, and eased my distress as a quiet voice sung its way into the air, close to my face. "Adam? Adam, love, it's alright… Don't cry, love, it's alright…" I sniffed quietly, my heart jumping up into my mouth. I allowed myself the risk of opening my eyes to look up at my companion.

Above me, Drake sat with his knees tucked under him, his hand in my hair, his eyes full of worry. I stared up at him for as long as my eyes would allow, refusing to tear my gaze away even as they stung and teared up. His hair was wet, recently bathed, hanging in thick locks around his face. A white cotton and gold embroidered robe hung from his shoulders, opened in the front to reveal pale skin, a spiderweb puckered scar, freshly healed, marring the front of his shoulder. Seeing that scar brought everything back in a rush to me. The battle of raining gunfire and gut wrenching screams, a stay at a local medical center, Alexander admitting his feelings, the plane ride home, our friends and family… It hadn't been a dream, a vivid and haunting fantasy. It was all real, all fine.

I sighed heavily, leaning into Drake's touch before crawling up into his arms, my head resting on his uninjured shoulder. Relief washing itself through me as Drake smiled, pulling his fingers through my hair to touch my cheek. "Adam," he cooed gently, caressing my skin. I looked up at him, smiling faintly. "Ws it a bad dream?"

I nodded slowly, unwilling to share the horrifying thoughts that I'd been having prior to his arrival at my side. I knew one day I would have to tell him, that I would be okay with sharing my horrors with him. But the wounds were too fresh, the scars had not yet healed and I feared bearing my heart and the truth would end me. Living it once was enough. I did not have the strength to do it twice…

Drake smiled softly despite this. "Come, love… Let's get you cleaned up, alright?" I nodded slowly again, letting Drake look his slender arm around my waist before helping me out of the bed. I had made a miraculous recovering in the center in Persia, but I was still incredibly weak. It was difficult to do much more than shuffle around. I needed assistance when it came to standing and climbing stairs. Sitting and laying down were fairly easy, thought for me it truly just continued to prove how weak I was, how easy it was just to fall and curl up in defense. While I knew Drake would not wish me to believe such degrading things about myself, it was unavoidable for me. For so long I had been plagued by such thoughts and feelings of worthlessness that it was difficult to even comprehend positivity, let alone conjure it for myself.

Drake guided me up the short expanse of stairs before taking me towards the bath. I'd been cleaned daily while at the medical center, but the idea of submerging myself in warm, vanilla scented waters was more than I could possibly dream of. Silky smooth crystal drops caressing and cleaning me of the filth of my memories. I let out an audible groan of anticipated pleasure as Drake prepared a fresh tub for us, dumping in bath salts and lily petals for extra ambiance.

He turned and smiled at me, the kind of smile that I often found teasing my heart strings and tickling my gut with whimsical butterflies. It was the kind of smile that made my heart dance like it hadn't before in the last year. I attempted an equally comforting smile, though I was certain it wasn't close to the radiant perfection of my love's.

Drake sat on the edge of the tub, testing the waters with his fingers before looking to me. "It's ready, love."

"Have you not already bathed?" I asked. My throat quivered from rusted use. It sounded old, defeated and weak to my own ears, but I knew Drake disagreed.

"Not with you, love," he offered another smile and slipped out of his robe.

I'd told him once before that my memories did him no justice of his true beauty. In naked flesh under the morning light, this thought again returned, only not it seemed to fit the truth image of Drake that I cherished. Cream colored skin, painted in vivid tattoos across his back, shoulders, arms and hips, as well as the hidden token against his inner thigh. Red-gold hair sprouted from the top of his head, hanging in waves to form a perfect A-line cut with the tips ending at his chin. Soft, rounded cheeks gave his adult face the boyish quality that it had when he was brought before me at the tender age of eighteen. Deep, ocean blue eyes with thick full lashes, almond shaped in their wonder. A long, delicate throat that expanded into small shoulders and arms. For his size, Drake's chest was broad, inching inward at his waist before his hips expanded out again, giving the allure of a feminine hour-glass shape. Toned legs, hairless and soft with small feet and equally small—yet adorable—toes.

Drake's hands were at his sides, his fingers long, tips calloused from his art and crafting. His nailed were clipped short, clean and rough from the lack of being manicured. As I stared upon my lover's body I took notice of the things that I'd not before. The puckered scars in his shoulder and thigh, the slight protrusion of his rib cage and hip bones, the knobbiness that his knees had adopted, the bones of his wrists and shoulders slightly more prominent.

To anyone else, these things would have gone without a second look. But I'd spent minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, _years_ mapping and memorizing every inch of Drake's lithe body. The way his muscles grew taut with strain, the way his body moved, how soft and pliant his flesh was beneath my fingers. His body was different now. Unfamiliar in tender familiarity. It had changed, Drake had changed, in our year-long separation. Yet, even in these gentle differences, there was something that reminded me of the boy who'd been brought to my stairs. The tender, young, naïve and innocent boy.

"Adam?" I blinked once, looking back up into Drake's eyes. "You're staring at me… Much like you used to when I was just your slave…" I smiled.

"Just re-committing to memory what you look like."

"You know what I look like, Adam." I reached out, taking his hands to draw him to me.

"I was remembering this," I said, caressing the very tips of my fingers from Drake's hips up along his sides, over his arms and up his neck before touching his cheeks, cupping them gently in my palms. Drake's eyes fluttered shut as I leaned in, pressing a warm and loving kiss to his lips. Drake moaned, his hands coming up around my waist, his arms holding tightly to me as I deepened the kiss, licking along his bottom lip. I pushed in slowly, tasting Drake as his hands slid up into my hair, pulling.

A flash skittered across my memory, shocking me, but I broke the kiss calmly. I didn't want to hurt or upset Drake, but the tremors that shot down my spine from his hand in my hair left me feeling rattled.

Drake opened his eyes and looked up at me, blue irises swirling with pleasure as his pupils threatened to swallow the color whole. His lips were reddened, lightly swollen, glistening in where my tongue had traveled. Drake smiled slowly. "I love you."

"I love you. Go on and finish preparing the bath while I undress," I said, kissing him again, but Drake held fast to me.

"May I?"

"May you what, love?"

Drake brought a hand to my chest, gentle fingers toying with the hem of the robe I'd slept in. I felt my heart stutter as he pulled it back, tugging the hem until it touched my shoulder before easing the fabric away. I shivered, watching the rise and fall of his breath as his hand slid across my shoulder, his warm fingers touching the bones that were far more prominent than his own. His eyes never left my face, even has his other hand came up to strip me of my robe, the fabric falling around my waist before sliding to the floor.

I felt exposed in all of the wrong ways. My shoulders and knees were knobbed, awkward. My ribs jutted out, my hips were too bony, my arms and legs were thin, my face sunken in some. I felt like a walking corpse and when I turned my head to look away from Drake's face, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. Everything I'd felt, everything I'd believed and saw in myself was true. I looked… I looked like a monster.

"Adam," Drake called to me but I couldn't tear my gaze from my reflection. Hideous. Broken. Old. Used. Disgusting. His hand touched my cheek. "Adam."

I looked back to him, staring sadly into his eyes. "I know what you're thinking. And it's not true. None of it is true. You're beautiful, love. You're so, so beautiful…"

"How can you say that—" I began, but his fingers touched to my lips.

"I say it because it's _true_. You are beautiful, my love. This is nothing that proper nutrition and love cannot fix, and you know that. You gave me that treatment years ago when Bradley hurt me. Let me give it to you now." I bit my lip, nodding slowly as tears threatened to pool. Drake leaned up and kissed me gently before helping me into the massive tub.

The waters were warm, smelling of lilies and vanilla. They felt as I imagined, silky to the touch, reminiscent of warm oils. Drake sat beside me, scooping handfuls of water to pour them over my skin, rubbing the salts and lily petals against my skin, moisturizing it with a creamy oil-based soap that smelled strongly of vanilla. I moaned quietly, closing my eyes, leaning into his touch as he cleaned and massaged my skin. He started at my shoulders and neck, working his way down my arms and across my back. I tensed every time his fingers swiped over scarred flesh and tattoos. But he pressed on, massaging out the knots before turning me around to wash and moisturize my chest.

After a while, Drake slid his hands under the surface, gently taking hold of my right leg. He brought it up, hooking it over the edge of the tub before taking the salts, petals and soap again, rubbing his hands together before washing the mixture into my skin. It was an old tradition that was found amongst common folk in Egypt. Those who were poorer and couldn't afford the moisturizing soaps used bath salts—if they couldn't afford salts, they used large grains of sand—flower petals and oil or cheap soap. It opened the pores, cleansing deep as well as removing the upper, dead layer of skin and grime. And while the palace was filled with such exquisite soaps, I remembered Drake had often preferred resorting to his familiar methods.

Drake washed along and under my thigh, my knee, down to my calf and shin before scrubbing my foot and ankle before making me switch legs. I was quiet as he cleaned me, watching his elegant hands as they treated me with care. I smiled softly as his hands cleaned my hips and inner thighs, his fingers tickling the more sensitive spots. After he'd washed my skin and rinsed away the soaps and salts, he gently poured water over my head to wet my hair. I watched him gather soap into his palms, rubbing them together again before his fingers made gentle work of pushing through my hair.

"What happened to your hair, if you don't mind me asking?" I repressed the memories and swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat.

"Derek… He cut it off with scissors." Drake didn't say anything for a moment, he merely continued to scrub my hair.

"It's not a bad length, you know. I know you don't like it, but with a bit of styling, making it one even length, and a nice rich color, you'll look good as new." I didn't move or speak. It was hard enough letting him have a hold of me like this, but I could do nothing else. I didn't want to scare or hurt him by withdrawing. I wanted to make him happy. I wanted to show him that I was okay.

"Will you let me, love?" He asked, and I hummed softly. Drake poured water over my hair again, rinsing the soap away before lathering his palms in oils, stroking my cropped silvery locks with it. More vanilla wafted into my senses and I let my eyes close a little as Drake let the oil sit, his fingers rubbing salted-soap into my face.

He rinsed my hair and face before draining the tub, helping me out before handing me a warm and plush cotton towel to dry off. I rubbed my face and hair, feeling refreshed and clean of grime and pain. Drake handed me a white cotton robe before helping me sit down on a stool that was positioned in front of the massive mirror. In the reflection, I watched him as he stared at my hair, his fingers playing with the different lengths before finding the shorter ones, comparing them.

"What if we layered your hair? Would you like that?" I shrugged, none too excited about watching my love wield the very object that had begun the process of severing my soul. "We'll just give it a little trim, love. Nothing drastic, just some styling and shaping."

Drake reached into a drawer and pulled out a small pair of silver scissors. I stared hard at them, watching them gleam in the light before I squeezed my eyes shut. Images of Derek and his awful smirk filtered into my mind as the soft _schink_ of metal sounded in my ears. I whimpered quietly, fisting the robe sleeves in my hands before Drake's soft lips pressed to my cheek.

"It's alright, love, it's alright," I opened my eyes, slowly looking up. Drake's eyes met mine briefly as he smiled before looking back down at my hair. I couldn't see the scissors in the mirror but I could hear them, I could feel them cutting through what little hair I had left and it took everything in me not to pull away from Drake. My heart thudded in my chest and I had to remember that he was doing this to help me, that he was doing this to make me feel better about myself and about my appearance. That this wasn't mean to degrade me or humiliate me in any fashion. I had to remember that.

Drake spent maybe five minutes trimming my hair, occasionally running his fingers through it to shake out the loose strands. When he put the scissors away, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. My lungs ached and my throat felt tight as he retrieved a small box, smiling at me.

"It's your shade. Midnight black. Would you like me to do your eyebrows, too?" I nodded slowly, feeling a little better as Drake applied the dye to my hair. He soaked and massaged each lock, every part of my hair before dabbing it into my eyebrows. All the while, he was humming a quiet little tune. It was one that sounded familiar, yet I couldn't place the name to it to save my life. Still, I found myself humming along, rusted and weak from lack of use, but somehow I managed to find the notes, to find the harmony to his melody.

Drake continued to hum until his voice opened up and he began to sing soft and sweet. "_I can't wait to see your face, and I can't wait to hold your hand. When you get here it's off to the races, and we'll tackle all of life's demands. But until I do, yes, until I do, I'll be right here singing for you_…"

I smiled while Drake let the dye sit and I smiled while he rinsed out my hair and my eyebrows, toweling them dry before running his fingers through my freshly washed and colored hair. Drake's fingers caressed my cheek and he whispered gently to me. When I opened my eyes, I found myself staring at a man I did not know, a man I thought I would never know after everything that had happened. I stared upon myself, upon a me that looked merely tired, and not war-traumatized.

Drake's face came in beside mine and he rested his chin on my shoulder before kissing my cheek. "Welcome home, love."


	49. Look Beyond The Lies You've Known

**Chapter Forty-Eight: Look Beyond the Lies You've Known****  
><strong>**Tommy's POV**

Adam disappeared with Drake the moment he got the chance to get away from us. Watching him walk away after not seeing him for a year was disappointing, but I understood why he would feel swarmed and overwhelmed. He had been locked away for so long and it wasn't unreasonable for all of us to give him and Drake some space. Adam would come back to the rest of us soon enough. He would realize that he was loved here, that there was nothing to fear and slowly he would begin to relax.

Hiei and Cassidy didn't stick around for very long. Once Hiei saw Adam and Drake were all right, he practically threw himself into Cassidy's arms and let's just say that the kiss they shared was not exactly appropriate for all audiences. Thankfully, they moved to their bedroom rather quickly to spend the night fucking like bunnies. Okay, there was a lot more love and passion between them, but I was sure that they weren't, exactly, going to be getting any rest.

To be honest, that was exactly what I was planning on doing with Alex; but when I finally got my arms around him, pulling him into the tightest hug I could muster, he didn't seem as enthusiastic as I was. His arms wound around my waist and he held me tightly to him, but he didn't pull me into a hard, needy kiss like Cassidy had done with Hiei. At first I attributed it to being tired. Cassidy told me in one of his updates that Alex took a bullet for Drake. When I first found out about this, my heart stopped. Not only had the former love of my life and current best friend come close to death but so did my lover. But Cassidy assured and reassured me that Alex was fine, that he just needed rest and since they spent so long in that hospital in Persia, I figured he would be better by now.

I was confident that I would be able to get him into the mood once we were in our bedroom, alone and locked away from the rest of the world, but he still wasn't really feeling it. Eventually I was able to tease him into an aching erection and I rode him slow, kissing him passionately the entire time. To say it was the best we'd ever had would definitely be a lie. Even though we were both physically in need, the normal love and emotion intimacy we shared while love making just wasn't there.

When he finally came, just moments after I spilled over his stomach, a sad look filled his eyes. It was a sort of agonizing gaze I'd never seen in his beautiful eyes before, but I had seen a similar look several times in Drake's matching eyes. In fact, that look had been very frequent in my best friend's eyes over the course of the last year, with his other half locked away and possibly dying with no way of reaching him. I didn't understand why my lover would have the same look now. Adam was home and even though he was still in shock, he was safe and he would begin the healing process very soon. In fact, if I knew Drake, he was already starting to recover with the help of his young husband.

What would be decided about the throne, I wasn't entirely sure. Drake was only supposed to be Pharaoh in Adam's absence, but I think it was easy for everyone to agree that Adam wasn't ready to reclaim his place as King. However we could all agree that that was a matter to be dealt with later.

Even as I kissed my lover, whispering into his lips how much I loved him once I had pulled off of him and curled up into his side, that sad, pitiful look remained in his eyes. He smiled, whispering that he loved me as well and he was trying to force himself to be happy. We had been together for so long, that it was just too easy to tell when he was faking and when he was being genuine.

"Okay, Alex… What is going on with you?" I finally asked. He had been trying so hard to seem happy; I didn't want to bring up what I was noticing. Usually, even when Alex was upset, a nice round of lovemaking cheered him right up, but now he seemed even more upset then before and I just couldn't continue to ignore it. This man was my lover, the man who gave me hope after I lost my original love to Adam. How could I be expected to just ignore my baby's suffering? At first I assumed that Alex didn't want me to notice his depression, and he probably still didn't since he was trying to be happy, but I couldn't ignore it anymore. That wasn't my style.

"I don't know what you mean, baby? I'm fine, I'm just… still trying to recover from the gunshot, is all," he lied. It was so obviously a lie.

"Alex, that isn't true. I'm sure you're still recovering from the trip and the shot and everything, but you don't just look tired, you look sad," I told him. Beating around the bush would get us nowhere. We could do that all night and find absolutely no solution to the problem that was making itself apparent . "Just tell me what's wrong, please? You've got this look in your eyes that Drake's been wearing for the past year and I just don't… I don't understand why you would be depressed. Adam's home, he's safe with Drake and you all came back from Persia relatively unharmed. Cassidy's back with Hiei and you're back with me, so I just… I don't get it. What is there to be upset about? I'm not trying to sound like an asshole or anything and I definitely don't want to sound heartless, but please, just explain to me what is happening."

Maybe it was my imagination but I could have sworn that when I said Drake's name, his pupils grew wider and, if possible, the sadness that troubled his soul was even more visible. It was such a cliché saying, but it was true: the eyes were windows to the soul.

Trying to keep eye contact with Alex was almost impossible. It would only take a second for him to divert his eyes from mine and he finally brought his hands up to my cheeks, cupping my face gingerly. "Tommy, sweet heart, you know that I love you, right? That I love you so much?" he asked and I really had to keep my mind from thinking that I was about to get the "It's Not You, It's Me" speech from the man I had been with since before Drake and Adam's first wedding anniversary. He couldn't really be planning to give me such horrible news after being together for so long, could he?

"Of course I know that, baby…" I whispered, trying not to sound like I was panicking. My heart seemed to lodge itself into my throat and I found myself wondering how I was even able to breathe. "I… I never question that, ever," I continued when I was greeted with nothing but my older lover stroking my cheeks slowly with his thumbs. "Should I question it?" I finally breathed out, trying to grope for some sort of reassurance. Alexander was not about to rip my heart out, not after all the years we spent mending each other's hearts.

"As long as you know that, darling," he whispered, pressing his lips to my forehead. For a moment I felt more like a child with his older brother or mother, not his lover. "As long as you know that, everything is fine and you don't need to worry about me being upset."

"Alex, no, that's not okay. You can't just write me off like I'm some sort of child. I'm not going to be able to ignore this when every time I look at you, even when you should be happy, you look miserable. Is it something I've done? You've looked so upset since you got home… Are you angry with me? Did I do something wrong?" I asked, looking into his eyes. He tried to look away again but this time I brought my hands up, holding each side of his face so he had to look at me. "If I did something, please just tell me. I didn't mean to upset you and, if I did, I'm sorry for whatever it is."

A soft sigh fell from his lips; as if he had really expected me to buy his "as long as you know I love you" crap. What kind of avoidance technique was that? "You didn't do anything wrong, Tommy, I'm not mad at you or upset with you or anything like that, trust me."

"Then what's this all about? I know you've been trying to act happy all night. You were even trying to act like you wanted to have sex as much as I did, but I know you were pretending through most of that as well. I thought you would get happy once we were alone and intimate. That always makes you happy but now you just look even more upset then when you first got home, I can see it all over your face," I told him, staring at his depressing eyes. Usually his and Drake's eyes were bright and vibrant, bluer than the ocean, but right now Alex's eyes were a very dull blue, almost gray color, like the life had been sucked right out of them.

"Baby please, let's not do this tonight, all right? I just got home and we're together again. I'm just… in a funk, that's all. I'm sure by breakfast I'll be okay. I guess I'm just trying to adjust from the trip and the flight and everything that's happened so quickly," he told me. It sounded legitimate but it also sounded like very cleverly disguised bullshit to someone who knew him as well as I did. There was definitely a difference between being sucked into depression and being "in a funk". Over the years, we had all fallen into those inevitable funks and this was definitely not how Alex acted while he was in that sort of state.

I suppose the look on my face told Alex that I wasn't buying it. He sighed deeply and sat up, leaning against the headboard. Unlike Drake and Adam's chamber, our room was more of a classic style. The walls were covered in paintings and murals done by Drake, most of the palace was, but the room was long and rectangular with the bed butted up against one wall, a tall headboard extending up above the mattress and pillows. The room was divided into two main sections, the bed and sleeping area and a seating and study area. We had a small bathroom, nice but nothing like the Pharaohs' chamber and a small balcony that overlooked the marketplace.

Taking my lover's lead, I sat up as well, deciding to sit Indian style so I could look at him without having to strain my neck. "I was hoping that by the time I came home, I wouldn't be in this miserable anymore. I really was trying to just get over why I feel so… worthless because I didn't want to upset you and because I didn't want to admit to you _why_ I'm feeling like this. If I tell you the truth, you're going to hate me and after the last few weeks and even the last year, I really cannot handle you turning away from me. I love you and I need you… I cannot lose you and if I tell you this, I will for sure."

For the second time, my heart was lodged into my throat. Truly I feared what Alex was keeping from me after his horrid explanation of how I would feel if he were truthful, but I would never be able to just not know, to pretend like there was absolutely nothing wrong. If Alex was this terrified to tell me, this sure that he would lose me over whatever it was, then the issue was not something I could ignore.

"Alex…" I whispered, reaching forward to take his hands in my own. Compared to my calloused hands, his were warm and soft although starting to dry out from the lack of skin care on his trip to Persia. "Whatever it is, you can tell me, okay? We are lovers, we promised to always be honest with one another and I love you so very much… You can tell me whatever it is that you need to tell me. You can be honest with me, I promise, whatever it is, I'm not going to leave you." It wasn't a promise I felt entirely comfortable making, but whatever Alex needed to tell me, I wasn't going to let it upset me to the point of leaving him. He was my life and my happiness.

"Don't promise that. You have no idea what I'm even going to say yet…" he whispered, his eyes transfixed on our interlocking hands. I assumed he was just using that as something to distract him from looking me in the eye, but even from the angle, I could tell that there were tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"Just tell me. I'll be less upset if you're just honest instead of hiding things from me and lying to me…"

The grip on my hands tightened for a moment, almost painfully so. "You're right…" he whispered, closing his eyes for the longest time. "But what I'm about to tell you, please just… remember as I'm telling you that I love you and the last thing I want to do is hurt you. I need you to remember that, Tommy, I really do, but it's not going to make hearing this any easier…"

"Just tell me." I was starting to grow tired of this. Worry was knotting itself into my stomach and I felt like I was going to die of the metaphorical pain before I even heard what horrible thing Alex wanted to keep from me.

"Okay… Okay, here it is. I'm depressed because I feel like Adam's ripped my heart out," he started and I couldn't even begin to form my questions because once he started talking, he didn't seem like he was going to stop. Maybe if he didn't get it all out at once, he wouldn't be able to spill it all. "Over the past year, while Drake took over Adam's position as Pharaoh, I've been shooting down every single one of his ideas. I've been a horrible advisor to him, and not because I genuinely disagreed with him but because I subconsciously wanted him to be wrong. I wanted him to make a fool of himself, to prove that Adam putting him in charge was a bad idea. I thought I could do better than Drake and that Adam shouldn't have trusted his entire kingdom to Drake. I started to grow jealous of him, resentful even. Eventually I started to think that he was nothing more than an immature kid and everything he did, as Pharaoh or just as Drake, started to irritate me."

"So… I'm having a hard time understanding this. You were jealous of Drake's position because you felt you deserved it more?" I asked. In a way, it was understandable. Alex had been Adam's advisor for years. He definitely knew more about politics than Drake did and he was older than Drake, but Drake was a natural no matter what he said… If something happened to Adam, it was only right that his throne should be given to his young husband. However I had a horrible feeling that Alex was still not telling me everything. Why would Adam giving the crown to Drake break his heart?

"Sort of," he whispered as a few tears rolled down his cheek. He wasn't sobbing by any means. The tears didn't even affect his speech or breathing but they were very obvious against his tanned skin. "Seeing how much Adam truly trusted Drake, how much he was willing to give him, made me realize that I never truly got over leaving him. Adam and I were so… so in love before you and Drake came along. I thought I was going to be with him forever and seeing him with Drake always hurt a little bit, but when Drake became Pharaoh? When Drake inherited the thing that Adam cherished most, gave him the great responsibility and honor of ruling the kingdom, I started to hate him. My feelings for Adam started to bubble back up to the surface and in trying to make Drake look bad, I suppose I was trying to show that I was still right for Adam and he was just some stupid kid…"

Now I finally started to understand why Alex didn't want to tell me this. He wanted me to remember that he loved me and that I made him so happy but he was telling me that he was still completely in love with a lover who hadn't been his for over fifteen years? That he was still secretly dreaming of being with Drake's husband when he should have been focusing on our relationship? How was I supposed to feel the love here, exactly? He wanted to make Drake look like a failure just to prove that he was better for Ra's sake!

"It sounds horrible, I know… Drake's such a great person, such an amazing leader and it's so obvious that he and Adam belong together but I just… I can't help it. It's completely irrational and I hate that I feel this way, but I do. Sometimes I can't help but feel that Drake stole him from me. I know that isn't true, that I left and Drake didn't come along for a long while after I was gone, but it wasn't my fault that Brad did what he did. When I thought you and Adam were in love, I decided not to come back, but then Drake came along… For the longest time I thought Adam was just replacing me with a younger version, a copycat, but in reality, I'm like the pathetic copy. Drake is so much better at everything, he's so amazing, he turns everyone's head, he's so creative and inspiring and I'm just… I'm just an old man with nothing to offer and nothing but jealousy in my heart," he mumbled, more tears rolling. His voice was slowly beginning to shake with sobs that I knew were coming, but I was finding it hard to be sympathetic for him. "Adam told me in the Persian hospital that our relationship was over and had been for a long time. That he belonged to Drake and he wouldn't change anything for my sake and when he said all those things I just felt like he ripped my heart out and threw it onto the floor in front of me."

Slowly I pulled my hands from his. I knew I promised whatever Alex was going to tell me wouldn't cause me to leave him, but how exactly was I supposed to take this? My lover, the man I had spent the better part of seven years with, was confessing that he was not only in love with another man but he was also growing to hate my best friend? The man that was also supposed to be his best friend?

"Tommy…" His voice cracked then and the sobs finally came but now I had my own inner turmoil to deal with. "Please, T-Tommy!" He reached for me again, but I pulled away from him and climbed off the bed, quickly grabbing a robe to wrap myself in. I wasn't necessarily deciding to leave him but I definitely need some time away from him, time to process all of this, calm down and think rationally. Space… That's what I needed, because I felt like I was suddenly suffocating.

"I just—I need time to think right now, okay? I can't deal with this all at once and I just need some air," I mumbled, pulling a silk robe over my shoulders, pulling it closed to keep my naked body hidden.

"What h-happened to you saying you wouldn't l-leave me for what I was going to t-t-tell you?" he wailed, his face covered in tears now. "You promised!"

"I'm not leaving you, I just… I can't be in here right now." I didn't think it was irrational to say that I needed space away from Alex after hearing something like that. It was sad really, since we were just reunited a few hours ago but if I stayed in this room, I was either going to break down, feeling sorry for myself or I was going to grow excessively angry with Alex. Neither of these sounded like good options and I just needed to be alone instead.

"Tommy, p-please!" Seeing my lover like this was truly sad. He looked so defeated and miserable, like he truly felt that he was a worthless piece of sod. If I wasn't so upset myself, I would have comforted him but I knew that wouldn't happen, not right now.

"I… I love you. That's all I can say right now, that even though you just said all those horrible things to me, that you're in love with someone else and you hate my best friend… I won't stop loving you," I told him, pulling my robe tight around me. He was trying to mumble something through his heart wrenching sobs, but I turned on my heels and bolted out the door before my own tears could make themselves known. The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon and usually sunrises made me so happy but I hadn't been this miserable in years. Honestly I wasn't even sure that Drake choosing Adam over me hurt this much because at least I had seen that coming.

This completely blind-sided me. My reunion with Alex was supposed to be a happy occasion, like it was for Hiei and Cassidy and even though I felt so horrible right at this moment, I had to wonder if Adam and Drake's reunion was just as hard, if not harder.

Maybe I was better off as a pleasure servant.


	50. Stand Still In One Place

**Chapter Forty-Nine: But Now The Time's Come For Your Feet To Stand Still In One Place**

**Sauli's POV**

The Pharaoh had come home. At long last the war was over. The Persian king had been stripped of his throne and the crisis was averted. There had been such a rabble of happiness and tears and reunions that there was barely a moment to catch the Pharaohs for a welcoming. I had never before been such witness to so many swirling emotions at once. It was, indeed, overwhelming, but there was something so powerful in this moment. So pure and so… full of family and love.

I had never before seen such. Living as a pleasure slave in Persia taught me nothing of family or comfort. Well, being a pleasure slave might have taught me something of warmth, but it taught nothing of compassion or companionship. Persia was nothing but a dark, burnt stain in the patchwork of my life. A massive one at that, but, I hoped, would soon be forgotten. It would serve me nothing to dwell upon a pain I was rid of when I could heal here.

Pulling myself from my thoughts, I stood back, away from everyone as the Pharaohs' family swarmed around one another, flanked by friends and servants with tears in their eyes. The light of the moon washed in from the arches at the palace steps and the faint lighting in the walls all served for warm familiarity, bathing good Egyptians in a glow. I smiled, watching as lovers were joined together in embraces before Pharaoh Drake took Pharaoh Adam gently by the arm, sweeping him away.

It was easy, then, to observe once the crowd began to dissipate. Mama Roza was in the embrace of, if I wasn't mistaken, the enslaved messenger from Persia. Cassidy and Hiei were locked in a passionate kiss before the advisor lifted his lover and carried him away, no doubt for such intimacies far more delicate and in need of privacy. Alexander and Tommy disappeared soon after, no doubt for their own passions. And, soon, all those of the throne room had gone, except for me. Well… And Eric.

I lifted my gaze to catch the young royal's, but he held it only a moment. Only a moment before he turned to leave with all the rest. I felt my heart skip and I pushed off from the marble pillar upon which I had been leaning. Eric slipped through the doors of the throne room that led out to the gardens, disappearing into the night with statues and rosebushes. I followed, unwilling to let him slip away as he had done last. It had been months since our last encounter where I'd kissed him with all my heart. Since then, he'd avoided me.

Perhaps… it was expected. After the incident, I'd approached Mama Roza to ask her advice. I had no one else to turn to, and since Gods could not answer my questions, I'd thought she might. She explained to me that Eric had lived under the fist of his father and had been taught, no, branded with the knowledge that he should and would love a woman. Not a man. And not an ex-pleasure slave at that. She told me, though, not to give up on Eric.

I pushed through the doors out to the garden, watching Eric's shaggy dark hair disappear towards the back of the gardens, towards the massive fountain. I'd been told that it was the fountain the Pharaohs had been married at. I could just picture every aspect: the sun shining in post-afternoon glow, flowers blooming, gems sparkling, the young Pharaoh, Drake, dazzling. Pharaoh Adam smiling… That was a sight I still had yet to truly see. Pharaoh Adam's smile. I'd heard it was radiant, especially when he looked upon his husband.

Sighing softly, I stepped down into the lush grasses, following Eric. I was tired of him running away from me. I wanted to talk. To apologize with being so forward in my feelings for him. I hadn't wanted to scare him or cause him to hate me. I wanted him to know that I was there for him, that I could help him, give him someone to hold onto when he felt alone. And my foolish heart… How I had let it slip from its cage so freely, I'll never know. I'd locked it safely away after Derek and Persia. Yet, somehow, Eric freed it for me…

Biting my lip, I slowed my pace. If Eric wanted to be found, he would be. Everything in my heart screamed to go to him, to make him understand. But how could I make someone so unwilling understand that I have no foul intentions despite the actions which I forcefully thrust upon him. I couldn't… Not even if I tried. I wanted to. Desperately. Eric was the first person who'd ever made me feel human. Pharaoh Drake saved me, yes. He freed me from a life of torment and pain. But Eric saved something inside of me…

My feet carried me to a smaller fountain with a sculpture of a young boy who looked very much like Pharaoh Adam. Frowning, I dropped my gaze to an engraving in the stone work. Written there was the name "Neil". Could he have been a relative of Pharaoh Adam's? A cousin or a brother? Perhaps. Slowly, I sat down on the curved ring, letting my fingers drag through the glassy waters. They were black from the reflection of night, the waning moon like a bright beacon in its surface. I glanced up at the sky. Though the stars were glimmering and the moon bright, there was a pink glow in the far east. Dawn was approaching.

I dropped my gaze back to the still fountain. The statue was cold and stoic, the jets silent. The waters were cool to the touch. The gardens were hushed, still in the everlasting night as they dispersed to dawn. Such comings like this before, I would have been asleep. But I could find no rest now. Not with the Pharaohs' return and the rejoicing that had occurred. There would, no doubt, be some celebrations to take place once all of Egypt had been notified of the miracle. Oh, yes, there would be celebrations for days…

I swirled patterns in the waters, my mind quickly drifting back to Eric. Had I wronged him so to the point that he would continue to run, even though it'd been months? I sighed, letting my eyes slip shut as I scooped some of the water into my palm, letting the beads trickle between my fingers to splash back into the pool. The glassy top rippled, shattering the perfection of the moon before stilling, righting everything in the world again.

"S-Sauli?" I lifted my gaze to see a short, lanky blond dressed in a flowing robe pulled tight around his shivering frame. I frowned deeply as Tommy neared me, evidence of tears on his cheeks and in his eyes. He was grieving.

"Thomas," I said, standing. He pulled his robe tighter and I took a gentle hold of his elbow, bringing him to me. "Tommy… why are you crying?" I murmured, reaching up to brush his tears away.

"I did not know you were out here. Shouldn't you be sleeping?" I sighed and smiled faintly, easing him down to sit on the fountain's edge.

"I hardly believe anyone is sleeping tonight. Should you not be with Alexander? You seemed so overjoyed to see him when everyone arrived a few hours ago?" Tommy choked softly, rubbing his face with the corner of the sleeve. He sniffled softly.

"Alexander… Gods, Sauli, I was a fool to think…" I shook my head.

"I don't understand. How are you a fool?"

"It's complicated."

"We've got time." Tommy glanced at me, sighing heavily as he drew his robe tighter again.

"Years ago, long before Drake and I came into Adam's life, Alexander was a pleasure servant for Our Good Pharaoh. Well, over a course of events, Alexander was taken from Adam and had been void from his life for many years before returning. In that time of his absence, I had come to Adam as a servant, and Drake after me. Drake later became Adam's lover and husband, as you know. And when Alexander returned, he and I fell in love. And we've been so for so many years now… But his heart still yearns for what he had for Adam. He still desires to be by Adam's side…" I let out a soft breath, touching Tommy's cheek for a moment before drawing him closer to me.

"He pines after what is not his and yet has the audacity to say he loves me and doesn't want to hurt me… He.. he wants Adam and expects me to stay by his side… I am a fool to think that I could be loved when I am nothing more than a pleasure servant and friend. I am not royalty. I am nothing more than property to the Pharaohs. I am a bed warmer…"

"Tommy… Do not speak such rubbish. You are more than that and you know it," Tommy's hard brown eyes found mine. He did not believe me. "Tommy… I understand. I do. Perhaps better than anyone else. If you allow yourself to believe that you are nothing, then that is what you will become. I am sure if Pharaoh Drake or Adam heard you say these things, they'd—"

"They'd what, Sauli? Prove me wrong? Kiss me and tell me through love-making how wonderful I am? That's all I am for them, Sauli. A lover and a confidant. But there is no love for me. No one to call mine. Drake is Adam's and Alexander… Alexander pines after an Adam that no longer exists. And I? I am the wallflower in the great mural of this life. I am the pretty face that no one remembers because there is always someone else."

"That's not true…" I whispered. My heart ached for Tommy. I knew his pain. I knew his suffering. And yet my words were failing to help him.

"Not true… I find that hard to believe. I appreciate what you're trying to do for me, but you've wasted breath, Sauli. But at least you've done that…" Tommy mumbled before beginning to stand. I pressed a hand to his clothed leg, stilling him. His eyes found mine again.

"Perhaps you want the love you see around you. You feel lost, lonely, even out of place without it. Everyone else has it. The Gods have a plan, Tommy. A plan for everyone. That plan will bestow you with a kind of love you may never understand, but it will come to you, even in the strangest of places. Unexpected places. Perhaps… perhaps it's time you lived and loved for yourself and not for another."

"What do you mean?"

"If it's destined for your love with Alexander to survive, it will. If not, let it be. Let it become a stitch in your life that you cherished, that you will grow from. You will find love, Tommy. Never give up on that simply because you've run into some snags." Tommy smiled softly, nodding slowly. "Besides… I do believe I've seen Pharaoh Drake's sister eye you now and then…"

Tommy's cheeks flushed. "I've only ever bedded and loved men. How do I even approach a woman?" I chuckled.

"You walk up to her and say 'good day to you, miss'," I kissed his cheek. "You'd best return to bed, Tommy. All these tears and this morning chill will give you a cold in no time."

"Mm, yes. I would do best to avoid that. You weren't around the last time I fell ill. Drake loves to go all Mother Hen on me." I laughed.

"I'm sure he'd go Mother Hen on anyone, not just you." Tommy nodded slowly, thanking me briefly before standing. He disappeared through the hedges that led back to the palace stairs as I sighed.

"You know," I jumped, turning to see Eric. "I wasn't entirely sure why I was running before. Probably because I was confused and afraid. I had so many questions before, but… After seeing you with Tommy like that, I feel as if I need no answers."

I smiled. "I'm glad you're here."

"I am sorry for my behavior… I was just…" I shook my head.

"You need not apologize to me, Eric. I understand." Eric smiled at me, coming closer.

"I'm sure.. Listen, Sauli.. about what happened… I don't want to run. It may be strange, but I know what my heart feels. I know what it's trying to tell me. And I think it's time I listened to it."

"And what is it saying?" I inquired, shivering as Eric's hand cupped my cheek.

"That I'm falling desperately for you," he said, pressing a kiss to my lips.


	51. I Know it Gets Hard Sometimes

**Chapter Fifty: I Know it Gets Hard Sometimes****  
><strong>**Drake's POV**

Five days didn't really seem that long when you were looking at the scheme of life, the blocks on a calendar or even the insignificant size of the tiny number in general. Five days wasn't even a weeklong! Five sunrises and five sunsets was nothing compared to the thousands upon thousands that one person would see throughout their lives.

However the past five days felt like an eternity to me.

That's how long we all had been back from Persia for. Adam was having a hard time adjusting to life in the palace after a year of being locked up in a filthy dungeons with even more retched guards. I was doing everything that I could think of to make Adam more comfortable and to help his transition from filthy prisoner to beloved king returned to his beautiful country.

Honestly, I felt that I could do better, that I wasn't doing enough to help him and I should be doing so much more, but I couldn't think of anything else. I gave him a makeover to bring him back to the gorgeous state he had been in before he was taken (aside from how skinny he was, regaining the weight would just take time). I agreed to keep my position as acting Pharaoh while Adam was trying to recover and adjust, which wasn't exactly something I was thrilled about, mind you. Everyone kept telling me what an amazing Pharaoh I made, that I saved Adam, Egypt and Persia and I deserved to be Pharaoh, but all I could see was a small kid who happened to get really, really lucky. Alexander might have opposed me for selfish reasons but that didn't mean that he was entirely wrong and I truly hated to think that.

On top of that, I spent every second I could with Adam. He didn't seem to like being left alone, but he was having a hard time being around too many people as well. I was trying to help him adjust to being around his friends, slowly increasing the amount of people that we would have dinner with until he could be comfortable with all of our friends and family. Adam was completely all right with taking walks through the palace with me and we would talk like we used to, but he would never speak about Persia. We would cuddle and kiss whenever we were together, but we never went any further.

I didn't have a difficult time understanding why Adam wouldn't talk about Persia. When Bradley raped me all those years ago, I just felt so disgusting. I blamed myself and while he did threaten me not to talk, I didn't really want to talk about it anyway. Having Bradley touch me like I was a possession, a whore even, it made me feel like I wasn't good enough for Adam to have me. Hell, I didn't feel like anyone should have to be with me… So I understood Adam's desire to hide from not only me, but everyone and I understood how completely worthless he felt.

This is why I never pushed Adam to talk or step too far outside his comfort zone (if he didn't step out a little, he would never get better). I knew better than anyone that he needed time to heal, to realize that he was the Pharaoh of Egypt and not some worthless prisoner with nothing but a name. Sometimes I found myself still thinking that I wasn't good enough because of what Bradley had used me for but I did get better. I was the fucking Pharaoh of Egypt and what Bradley did to me couldn't change that.

Adam would realize this too, at some point, I just wasn't sure when. He did take more abuse than I did, but if there was anyone who could understand it, it was I. Hiei could probably relate as well, since his father sold him into sexually slavery and he was forced to run away just to protect himself. Forcing Adam to open up was not something I was going to do, but I did tell him over and over again that I was completely there for him and that nothing was more important to me than helping him get through this.

Whenever I couldn't be with Adam due to Pharaoh duties and public appearances, confirming that Adam was home and he was recovering nicely, Sebastian and my mother decided to baby Adam. Sad as it was, Sebastian was definitely more Adam's father than mine, no matter what biology had to say about it.

Today I spent all of my morning and most of my afternoon in a meeting discussing the future of Persia. Adam stayed with my parents because he just didn't seem to feel up to returning to Pharaoh duties and who could blame him? He just needed to rest and slowly phase back into a normal life. Alexander also was not with me because Adam had stripped him of his advisor role, so only Cassidy came with me. Truly the meeting was rather… pointless. We discussed merging Persia with Egypt and having them under one rule. We discussed potential leaders would could send to Egypt, but truly we didn't come to a conclusion, which meant we would have to have the same exact meeting in a few weeks to, once again, leave without a conclusion.

Once we were finally able to leave, I was starving. My stomach was literally growling, but I wanted to get back to my room, change out of my ridiculous Pharaoh clothes and go to Adam. Since his return, not only did he not like being alone, but also I hated to be away from him. I was hoping that we could have a nice lunch alone and maybe talk some more, but I barely got two halls from the room I had just spent my day in when I turned a corner and found my brother and Sauli, Sauli pressed up against the wall with Eric's tongue down his throat.

To be honest, I wasn't sure how to feel about that. It was amazing that my brother was fiiiiiinalllly with someone and that he wasn't afraid of his sexuality, but Sauli was a pleasure servant… However I did keep Sauli instead of sending him back to Persia so he could have a better life here. I never planned on using him for pleasure and my brother could definitely give him a good life, I was just a little worried that maybe Eric wouldn't be… satisfactory?

For a moment, I just awkwardly stood there and when I finally tried to make my way around them, Eric noticed me. A massive blush instantly spread across his cheeks, very similar to the way mine always did. "Oh, Drake, sorry… Didn't see you there," he said, trying not to pant although he clearly needed to since he hadn't come up for air in quite some time.

"No, it's fine, but maybe you two should… find somewhere a little more private if you're going to…?" I asked. Eric blushed even more and Sauli's cheeks were pink but I wasn't sure if that was because he needed breath or because he was embarrassed.

"Oh, we weren't going to do that… We were just taking a walk through the gardens and we came in to get some lunch and, well, we got carried away," Eric explained quickly, obviously trying to keep me from becoming all protective older brother on him, but he was an adult and old enough to make his own decisions. He just didn't need to be having sex inn plan sight of the entire palace.

"It's all right, just don't get too carried away," I advised and then smiled. "I'm also very happy for you both. You make a very adorable couple," I added and began walking again. If I didn't eat something soon, I thought my stomach might cave in on itself. This is definitely what I got for skipping breakfast.

"P-Pharaoh, wait…" Sauli whispered just as I started to leave and he reached out, taking hold of my hand lightly to stop me. "I'm sorry, I know you've been working all day and you're probably starving and want to get back to Pharaoh Adam but there's something I have to tell you." He waited for me to turn back to him before he continued.

"What is it, Sauli, and I believe I've told you to call me Drake," I told him, smiling calmly. I would never get used to anyone calling me "Pharaoh" no matter how gaudy and ridiculous my clothes were.

"It's… It's, Tommy, Pha—Drake. I ran into him in the gardens the morning after your return and he was in tears. He told me that Alexander still holds hope and love for Pharaoh Adam and that he felt that he was nothing more than a bed warmer," he told me and while his voice was soft, the way he spoke was firm and unwavering. He was determined to make sure that I knew this and the more I heard, the more furious I became. "I know that Tommy is so much more than just a pleasure servant and I also know that he is your best friend, that you love him, perhaps more than anyone else. I also know that you are very busy with your Pharaoh duties and taking care of your husband but please, please talk to Tommy. He needs someone besides me to tell him how special he is… Seeing him cry was so… Gods, it was horrible to see, just as horrible as watching you cry when I first came here…"

A mixture of emotions pulled at my heartstrings. I was furious with Alexander for hurting my best friend so horribly, I was upset because Tommy was hurting and that I wasn't there for him and I was sympathetic because Sauli was so sweet and passionate… "I'll talk to Tommy, Sauli, I promise," I said to him and he smiled beautifully at me.

"Thank you, My Pharaoh, thank you," he said, letting go of my hand now that I heard everything that he had to say. My original plan was to go to Adam immediately after my meeting but now I was going to find Tommy. Well, truthfully, I wanted to go find Alexander and rip his fucking balls off for not only what happened in Persia and still loving Adam, but for hurting my very best friend but Tommy needed me more that Alexander needed a good ass kicking.

It took about twenty minutes for me to find Tommy, but he was sitting on a shared balcony that anyone in the palace could go out on and overlook the Bazaar below. "Tommy?" I asked, leaning on the doorway leading to the balcony. I have not really had a one on one conversation with Tommy in quite some time and I felt guilty for it because he was my very best friend but between all of the Pharaoh things I had to do and planning to save Adam… It was all just one huge mess.

Tommy looked up from his guitar and he smiled a little. "Hey there stranger," he said, setting his guitar aside. "Why aren't you with Adam, Drake? I know he's having a hard time. He needs you."

"Yeah, he does, but so do you and, to be honest, Adam could use you too," I said, going over to him slowly. Instead of pulling up another chair, I sat down in his lap and he didn't seem to mind. We've bathed together, in fact, we still did that once in a while, and we've slept together, shared secrets and a bed… Sitting in his lap was no big deal.

"What do you mean?" he asked, putting his arms around me without a second thought.

"Sauli told me what happened with Alexander and, Gods, Tommy, I'm so sorry," I said to him, resting my head against his shoulder. He ran his fingers through my hair slowly and eventually started to braid my hair. "He also told me that you think you're only around for pleasure and that… That is just not true. You're my best friend, Tommy. Literally, my best friend and the man who saved my life when I tried to jump off that balcony. If you weren't here, I would be an emotional wreck all the time or I would be dead and when Sauli told me what happened, I felt so horrible…"

"I just felt like that because I was so upset with Alex for loving Adam. I felt like… Like everyone wanted Adam over me and I was just a second choice. I don't blame you for loving Adam but… I do kind of blame Alex. Why would he come back into Adam's life if he wanted to be a lover and he couldn't? If he doesn't love me, he shouldn't act like it and if he loves me but not as much as Adam then he should just leave…"

"I agree with you Tommy, but I do know one thing for sure, Alexander does love you. I'm not telling you to give him another chance because I'm just as angry with him as you are right now and I really just want to kick the living shit out of him but… He does love you. He just… Loves two people at one time, like I did when Bradley raped me," I told him. I was a little startled at myself for kind of standing up for Alexander but maybe I felt guilty because years ago I picked Adam over him and now Alexander might be doing the same thing to him.

"Meaning…?"

"I was in love with you and I was in love with Adam and choosing between you… Was the hardest thing I ever had to do. It was worse than all this Pharaoh shit and going to Persia. It was harder than actually dealing with Bradley raping me… And if Alexander is smart, he's going to get over his love for Adam and pick you. If he can't see that you are the best thing that has ever happened to him, then he's the biggest idiot in the world," I assured him, putting my arms around his neck while he finished the large braid, letting it hang over one shoulder. "Just give it some time and if he hurts you again, I'm gonna fuck him up."

Tommy snorted. "Can I watch if it comes to that?

"Absolutely," I said, kissing his cheek gently. "You know I love you, right? You don't doubt that, do you?"

"Of course not, baby… There were a few things I said to Sauli that I said out of depression, not because I thought they were true and I'm sorry if I offended you…"

"No, please don't apologize to me, I just want you to know that those things you said about yourself aren't true," I assured him.

"I know, baby, I know… Now, let's go check on Adam, hm?" he asked and I nodded softly.


	52. I'm Lost Without You

**Chapter Fifty-One: I'm Lost Without You**

**Alexander's POV**

"You…"

It startled air that had once been silent and tense, yet hopeful. It clutched the very nature of potential and ripped it apart with promised hatred. The voice was sharp, cold, wrapping itself around my throat and gut in a dual vice grip, squeezing me with a frosty grasp. Piercing and vengeful, I knew I need not turn around to know who, exactly, was directing such venom my way.

"_You_!"

The jagged edges of a single syllable seemed to carve themselves into the atmosphere, hanging there like an angry cut in the flesh of the invisible. There was no hesitation, no questioning. No, this was all-knowing, omnipotent in its wrath. This single word, the source of fury, knew the air of mystery. It knew of the wrongs I'd done not to one man, nor two, but three. The most recent. The most painful. It knew of the heart I'd ripped apart and, now, it had come for me.

Perhaps I'd been too bold, too brash to find Tommy so soon, to beg his forgiveness so quickly. It had only been a matter of days, really, since my confession; mere moments connecting our lives from the time he left our grief-stricken bed to when I'd cornered him on a stroll in the hall, grabbed him by his pale arm and nearly fell upon my knees in tears. Indeed, I was too bold to think that I could slip passed the wrath of a young king sworn to the blond's side as an eternal friend and companion. To think I could avoid Drake's sharp eye and silver tongue.

Since Tommy's disappearance from our room, I had been a wreck. An emotional catastrophe that couldn't hope to be resolved without the sure-hearted blond beside me. I had spoken such horrible things to him, things I would understand if he never forgave me for. But I had to make him understand me. I had to make him see that I loved him so, and that letting him go would be a worse mistaken than letting my feelings cloud my judgment for the last year.

Which was what brought me to his feet, eyes filled with tears and heart aching with sorrow. Sorrow that I had ever dared to hurt him as badly as I did. Sorrow that, for even a moment, I could let him suffer at my own selfish greed. I knew that I could not expect him to forgive me immediately, that I did not deserve it in the slightest, really. But, along with this, I knew… I knew if I lost the one thing that loved me better than I could have ever been, I would surely die. For when Tommy walked out that morning six days ago, my soul went with him, and I had been breathless, lifeless, and filled without belonging since.

"Get… your filthy hands… off of him!" The young king's voice raged n my ears, his hands prying my own from Tommy. He shoved at me, his blue eyes blazing as Tommy stood behind him. "How _dare_ you even think to _speak_ to him after what you've done!"

Drake… was furious. Rightfully so. I'd compromised him, attempted to sabotage his relationship and had wounded his best friend. I was rapidly approaching the mouth of the River Styx with every red mark in his eyes and unless I could find a way to fix it, I knew I was going to face the Gods prematurely…

"Drake, it's okay—" Tommy began to say. I felt a glimmer of hope in my heart, praying that, maybe, despite what I'd done, he was willing to defend me. Not that I deserved it, but, maybe…

"No, it's not okay and you know it, Tommy," Drake said, not even bothering to look back at the blond. He kept his eyes on me, watching, as if waiting for me to strike at the blond again. I wanted no more ill-will between us, no more secrets or pain. I just wanted things to be right, to be happy, as they once were. I wanted things to be the way they were, back when I wasn't plagued by old feelings and fears. Back when my world was Tommy and only Tommy.

"Please, let me explain—" I said, bringing my hands up in plea. Drake's cold eyes snapped to them before looking back to me again. He didn't trust me. How could he? I was a snake, a viper, swaying back and forth in a dance until he dared to turn his back. Well… perhaps that was how he perceived me. It wasn't hard to guess. "—all I want is to talk to Tommy. To apologize. To beg his forgiveness for what I've done."

"Beg for forgiveness? It's a little late for that now, don't you think, Alexander? You've crushed my best friend and you think you're just going to get an 'Oh, it's okay' and be able to waltz back into everything? I don't think so! Not after everything in Persia and here, Alexander… You crossed so many boundaries that your presence here is far from unwanted, it is undeserved! I suggest you leave, now, and get your shit together before even _thinking_ of approaching Tommy again!" I sighed, dropping my hands.

"My Pharaoh, please… I did not wish to hurt Tommy. I love him—"

"_Love _him? How? You trampled on him and made him feel utterly worthless!" Drake seethed, his eyes blazing. Tommy looked as if he were at a loss for words. My heart ached as I glanced between the two of them. "How dare you mock his heartache with your lies, Alexander! You openly admitted to still having feelings for my husband, that you attempted to ruin me and take my place on the throne! You even abandoned me in Persia during the duel against Emir to save Adam and make yourself the hero!"

Tommy's eyes widened then, and he stared in shock at me. I had been planning to tell him, to tell him everything that happened while we were gone. But I didn't have the chance. And with the way Drake was ranting and raging about everything, I feared I would never have the chance.

"You abandoned him…?" Tommy murmured just barely loud enough for me to hear. I choked softly, shaking my head.

"It wasn't like that. It was meant to be a one on one duel and Emir turned it foul through cheating. I was trying to ensure Adam's survival because I felt Drake could handle it—"

"You left because you thought I would die!" Drake shouted, and his words stabbed my heart. It wasn't like that at all… Yes, I had my doubts, but I still held faith in him… I'd always held faith even if I made mistakes…

"I didn't think you would die! It was a real possibility, but I wasn't praying for it! I wasn't hoping that you would, that Emir would win and we would all be lost! It was one on one. I didn't want him to make foul play and bring Adam even further into the mix than he already was!" I pleaded. This was getting us nowhere and it seemed as though I was merely digging myself a deeper hole with each word that left my lips. Drake wasn't listening, Tommy wasn't trying to speak for himself or defend me.

I had half a mind to apologize and turn to leave. I wanted to leave. I wanted to crawl away like a kicked dog and find Tommy again so we could speak more privately, but I had a gut-wrenching feeling that if I were to walk away, Drake would hold him on a leash and never leave him alone. And if that were to happen, I would never get a chance to tell Tommy how I felt. How I truly, honestly felt…

But that thought vanished from me when Adam's voice came from around the corner, "What is the meaning of all of this?" He was soft and gentle, but sure-fired and powerful. I turned to see him, startled at once by his beauty. His cropped hair was freshly trimmed and layered, dyed its alluring midnight black. His eyebrows were groomed, his skin beginning to take back its soft, tan pallor. He was adorned in a deep red robe with gold trim, the sleeves folded back some to reveal his long fingers and freckled hands and wrists, the tail dragging on the floor, deep brown trousers clinging tightly to his shrunken waist.

"Nothing, love, just… someone stepping over their bounds…" Drake snarled softly, glaring at me as he took hold of Tommy's hand. The blond glanced at the young king with a small sad look before turning his gaze on me. I held it with him for a moment before the weight of the guilt forced me to look away.

"I see… It is apparent, then, that Alexander and Tommy have talked?" Adam turned to me.

"Yes, My Pharaoh. Tommy and I spoke a few days ago and have not since. I tried, again, to apologize for my behavior, but Pharaoh Drake feels I am unworthy of Tommy's presence… regrettably, he is right in this. I will be on my way, and shall see you at dinner." I started to walk, to leave, because I knew it was futile at this point. Adam was still upset with me over my behavior towards Drake and I could only imagine the things Drake must have told him behind closed doors.

"Wait, Alexander," Adam said. I stopped, but I did not turn. Drake was right, my presence was unwanted. Why did he want me to stop? Didn't he feel the same? "I believe, despite my husband's efforts to mediate peace and time between you two, that it is up to Tommy whether or not he wishes to speak and resolve this"

My eyes widened and I turned back to face all three of them. Drake was shocked. Tommy equally so, but he nodded once before looking my way. I felt my face heat up between fear and hope. Fear that he would reject me just as easily as Drake had done. Hope that he would allow me to explain myself and maybe, just maybe, we could have a chance to fix everything that I ruined.

There was this impenetrable and endless silence that hovered above us as Tommy stared at me, contemplating his answer. Honestly, it was perhaps the most nerve wracking experience of my life, like my very soul was hanging on the balance of saving and severing. Perhaps that was extreme, but it was how I felt. I'd taken for granted everything that had been spoon-fed to me: my place here in the palace, my job, my friendships, my love, my happiness, all because of jealousy and greed. Such feelings I should not have felt yet… There they were, imprinted into my heart. I should not have felt this way, but I knew it was because I still felt cheated of Adam's love. I had been taken from his side and his bed out of greed and now I was here, having attempted to throw myself back into it when my place had already been taken…

I was unworthy of Tommy's love. I was unworthy of his affections because of my feelings for Adam yet… I craved them. I craved his look and his touch because it was the first I'd felt that made me alive since Bradley. It was the first of trust and unconditional surrender to happiness and I'd crushed all of it for harboring feelings that I had long since buried for Adam's sake. I was a coward and a fool and should have left when I had the chance, but I stayed… I stayed and I loved Tommy… And I broke him all the same.

"I want to know what he has to say… I want to know if I, not only should, but can trust him again… Because, by the Gods, so help me, I still love him… And he deserves to at least explain himself."

I choked on a breath that refused to reach my lungs and I felt my heart soar then. Like the weight of the entire Afterlife had been lifted off of my shoulders. I felt weightless, joyful that he was granting me this small chance. No, it was not small. It was grand, it was perfect, it was more than I could have hoped for. I smiled, swaying a little before feeling Tommy's hand on my shoulder. How did he come to my side so soon?

"Well, don't get melodramatic and fall over on me," he teased, smiling softly. "Come on." Tommy took hold of my hand, gently squeezing as he guided me away from Adam and Drake.


	53. Never Give Up If You Can Still Go On

**Chapter Fifty-Two: Never Give Up If You Can Still Go On****  
><strong>**Adam's POV**

"Baby, where are we going?" I asked as Drake carefully led me through the halls of the palace. I'd been home from Persia for about a month and, for the most part, was adjusting back into my normal life rather well. My tan had returned, my dreams weren't completely filled with nightmares, I felt comfortable with my friends and my family—Drake most of all—but there were still things about my life that just didn't line up to what I had before I was taken to Persia and locked in those filthy dungeons, being abused by those pathetic fucks who thought they were men.

Drake was still acting Pharaoh. I spent most of the last month trying to recuperate and start feeling back up to par and Drake was sweet enough to continue ruling our country as well as Persia. Anyone with eyes could see how stressed he was, not just because of his crown, but because he was trying to take care of me and make me feel like a king again. There was also the whole Alexander mess to be dealt with. After the confrontation between my lover and my ex lover over the past year, they both cracked in Persia and to be perfectly honest, I was surprised that no one was killed (well no one who didn't deserve to be killed anyway).

When Alexander admitted that he wanted to make Drake look back because he didn't think he deserved such power, he destroyed one relationship and severely wounded two others. I wasn't really sure if Drake would ever forgive him for not only constantly making him look like a fool but for admitting that he was still in love with me. Not only had Alexander succeeded in pissing off Drake, but he also hurt Tommy in a way that may not be repairable. Since Tommy was Drake's very best friend, this made Drake loath Alexander even more and I wasn't sure if their former relationship would ever be salvaged.

Alexander questioning my judgment to put Drake in charge really didn't make me feel like I still had a friend in him. My judgment was not distorted because of my love for Drake and it certainly wasn't failing because of my sexual relationship with Drake. To know that Alexander thought I was wrong to put him on the throne was extremely hurtful if not a bit insulting. My decision was rational and grounded because I truly believed that there was no one else who could do my job.

One last thing that hadn't gone back to normal: I have not been intimate with Drake since before my capture.

Gods, I wanted to, trust me, I more than wanted Drake, but every time we would push beyond kissing and cuddling, I would remember Derek. Drake was not Derek and he was nothing like Derek but anything that had to do with sex was just so difficult for me to accept without thinking of my rape. Drake would never hurt me, this much I was sure of. In fact, if we were to have sex, I would probably top him but I just couldn't. Not yet… And I hated myself for it.

"Will you just relax? It's a surprise but we're almost there," Drake purred, leading me around a few more corners. When he first blindfolded me, we were in our bedroom and I tried desperately to follow to turns just by my memory but after about a dozen, I was sure Drake lead me in a few circles to confuse me. He really did want to make sure that whatever he was taking me to was a surprise. "Okay, stop walking, we're here," he said and the moment I stopped, he pulled away from me.

"Can I take the blindfold off?" I asked, listening to a bit of shuffling, like he was setting something up and after a few minutes, he came back to me, pulling the blindfold off slowly. At first all I saw was Drake's red and gold locks, which I found alluring a gorgeous, by the way, but after giving me a gentle kiss on my lips, he moved out of the way.

Behind him there was the fountain in the center of the garden we were married at. On the stone rim of the fountain sat an ice bucket with what looked like two bottles of champagne and two beautiful flute glasses tinted to match Drake's hair. Laid out in front of the fountain was a large blanket with a basket of what I assumed was filled with food and several large pillows to make sitting more comfortable.

"Since I didn't have any Pharaoh stuff to do today, I wanted to do something for just the two of us," he said, smiling bright enough to battle the sun's intense rays. "So I got up this morning before you woke up and make a lunch and some desserts for us and Hiei helped me set this up."

"Hiei? You mean you actually got him out of Cassidy's bed long enough to help you?" I asked, chuckling. Hiei really was one of the best things about this palace and I always felt a little guilty that I almost condemned him to a life of imprisonment. Thank the Gods that Drake had stopped me because not only was he good for us, but he was exactly what Cassidy needed to pull him out of the depression left by Bradley.

"Adam," Drake mock-scolded me, laughing quietly. "Be nice, you know that half of that is Cassidy's fault, not Hiei's." Slim, artistic fingers slipped through mine and the redhead pulled me over to the blanket. "Besides, do you really want to be making fun of them when you could be having a nice glass of chilled champagne? I broke open one of the good bottles for us," he added, filling the two flutes just short of the brim. Handing me one, he sat down beside me, leaning against my side not unlike a cat that curls up against you while sleeping.

Drake sipped his champagne and I followed suit while he unpacked the lunch that he made for us. Usually the chefs that worked in the palace did all the cooking, but I was no stranger to Drake's. Sometimes he just wanted to do something sweet for someone, like right now, and he was quite talented in the kitchen. Who would expect anything less from an artist though? Culinary was an art form in it's own respect.

"Now what would you like to start with? Hm? I made sandwiches, pasta, cubed fruit and chicken. Oh, and cake for dessert. Your favorite, chocolate with a hot fudge center and a thin layer of icing with strawberries," he said, unpacking each food item as he named it. "Any preferences?" In response, I merely put an arm around his waist and pulled him back up against my side, kissing his neck gently.

"I'd like a little bit of Drake to start with," I muttered, nuzzling his neck. His skin heated up almost immediately and I could feel him purr against my lips. "Everything looks great, baby, but I'd really love a real kiss." His blush deepened severely and he turned his head to press his lips to mine, pulling a soft moan from my lips.

For several minutes, our food and champagne just didn't matter and we ended up lying amongst the pillows, Drake's arms around my neck and mine firmly planted around his hips. All that mattered was Drake's lips pressed firmly to mine and him sucking hard on my tongue. Eventually he did break our kiss to breathe and he pressed his forehead against mine. "Oh baby…" he panted, stroking the hair on the back of his head with his fingertips. It ticked the back of my neck but it was that comforting sort of tickle that made you feel safe and at home. "I fucking love you."

"I love you too, baby," I whispered into his ear and brought one of my hands up to cup the right side of his face, my opposite hand pressed firmly to his backside. This was peaceful. This was what I always dreamed of when I was trapped in Persia, that I could come home to a man who loved me and we could just be happy with one another. Drake gave me that but with all of the drama that seemed to be spreading around the palace, between Tommy and Alexander and Drake trying to accept his father, Sebastian, it was like there was always something.

Now there was only Drake.

"Let's eat, okay? Then we can cuddle and kiss all you want, all day," Drake said, nuzzling my cheek gently. All I truly wanted to do was chase after his lips and kiss him until his pretty little redhead popped off but I also didn't want to waste the food that Drake went to so much trouble to make either, so slowly I sat up, pulling Drake up with me.

"All right, I'll have a bit of everything," I told him. How could I choose when all of it looked fantastic? A soft blush and an adorable smile crossed Drake's gorgeous face and he looked so young and innocent, it was kind of hard to remember that he was reaching thirty, currently ruling two countries and fought to near death in Persia for me. It amazed me how much he could still seem like that eighteen-year-old boy brought to me by my guards all those years ago.

Once Drake handed me a plate loaded with some of each item he'd prepared, he made himself a plate and leaned up against a little mountain of pillows. "You know… some diplomats from allied countries have been asking me when you'll be rejoining them…" Drake said, almost cautiously as he began to eat. "I keep telling them that he need time to recover but they're growing a little impatient. Now please don't think I'm trying to push you back into taking your throne, I'm fine with taking care of all of this stuff, I just think we should discuss what we're going to do later on?"

"Well… Actually I had been meaning to talk to you about the Pharaoh deal," I said, eating as well. Drake hadn't really pushed this issue in the month I had been home even though that meant putting so much stress on him, so I owed it to him to discuss it now. Besides, if we spoke about it while we were eating, then we wouldn't have to waste time talking afterwards when we could be doing things that were much more entertaining than talking. "I really appreciate you giving me time to get better before talking to me about this but I know how stressed you are over everything that's going on. With that being said, I think you're a wonderful Pharaoh and the country loves you."

"Adam, I'm really not—" Drake started to say, thinking I was finished but I shook my head some.

"You didn't let me finish, boo. I think you're an amazing Pharaoh, I truly do and the fact of the matter is you were made for this. My entire childhood was filled with tutors teaching me how to lead and you didn't need any of that," I said, took a pause to take a few more bites of Drake's delicious food, and then continued. "You see, I don't want you to take on the responsibility of being Pharaoh by yourself anymore. In the same respect, I don't want to go back to me being the Pharaoh and you being my husband."

"Okay… so what are you saying?" he asked, setting his plate aside while pulling one of the pieces of cake towards himself.

"I think we should share the throne, the title and the responsibility equally," I said, following suit in picking up a piece of cake. Usually I was careful about what I ate, but I lose so much weight in Persia that I needed to gain it back. "You're far too amazing to go back to just being the Pharaoh's husband but I don't want you to feel like you have to do it alone. I've been thinking about this ever since I came home because I saw what an amazing job you've been doing by keeping the country going while I was gone. I don't want to take you off the throne but I don't want you to do this alone anymore."

"So you think we should share it? The throne, I mean? Can there even be two Pharaohs?"

"Of course, we make the rules, don't we?" I asked, eating the cake slowly. I had to suppress my moan of pure pleasure because it tasted so amazing. "The people love you, Drake. I think they would be upset to see you taken off the throne and I truly believe that this is the best option for us. When you were "just my husband" you were still involved in all of the decision-making. It really won't be any different. People called you "my King" then too."

"Yeah, I never did get used to that…" Drake mumbled and fell silent for a long while, probably thinking and considering my proposal. I didn't expect him to say no, but it was possible and if he truly didn't want to be Pharaoh anymore, I would respect that. Cassidy, Tommy and Hiei all told me how hard was for Drake while I was away and how hard he was on himself. He felt like he was a failure but that was probably more than just because of low self esteem. I'm sure it was a mixture of that, my absence and Alexander constantly telling him that he was wrong were the key factors and now that I was here and Alexander had backed off, he would be better.

He certainly seemed to gain his balls back when he took out Emir in Persia.

"So… Does this mean that I have to get Pharaoh tattoos?" Drake finally asked, which was his joking way of agreeing to my proposal. "Cassidy and several other people kept telling me to get Pharaoh inking but I refused because it felt like that was admitting that you weren't going to come back…"

"Well if you are going to remain Pharaoh with me, then yes, you would need Pharaoh inking," I said, setting what was left of my cake aside. Drake already finished his piece and I reached over and took ahold of his wrist, pulling it up next to my forearm. "You'll need this tattoo," I said, motioning to the Eye of Horus I received on my eighteenth birthday. "You'll also need a more substantial inking that will list out your obligation to the people and so on in the old language. Mine is across my back but since my promise seal already takes up your back, we'll have to find somewhere else for it. In fact, I already have an idea and it will be breathtaking on you."

"Well are you going to tell me what it is?" he asked, probably curious as to wear I was thinking because Drake had a rather extensive—yet tastefully done—list of inkings. He had the lover seal on his hips, claiming him as mine, my name tattooed on the inside of his thigh, my seal of promises (which Tommy also had) across his back and an ankh sitting on feathered wings on his shoulder and upper arm, he was running out of space, but I had the perfect idea for him.

"It'll be a surprise. I promise, it will be amazing on you though," I whispered into his ear, kissing him gently.


	54. I Don't Have The Strength

**Chapter Fifty-Three: I Don't Have The Strength To Resist Or Control You  
>Drake's POV<strong>

"You are, without a doubt, fucking crazy."

The words tumbled from my lips as I fell into the chair. Adam stood beside me, smiling faintly with those gorgeous freckled lips and those bright blue eyes. He had to be utterly crazy to suggest this. There was no way that he could be serious. It was a hard decision to accept the Pharaoh tattoos to begin with, but when Adam mentioned the _placement_ of such tattoos, I had to fight the urge to run out of the room and hide in my mother's arms.

"I'm not crazy, love. It'll be beautiful. _You_ will be beautiful," Adam spoke gently, his voice soft and sweet. But there was no sweetness in this. Inkings were already a painful process to undergo, and my fuck of a husband was suggesting I get an extensive tattoo _on my face_. "Please, Drake? Angelo will make it as painless as possible for you, I promise. And when you see the finished result, you'll understand why I suggested this for you."

"_Adam_," I groaned, eyeing him warily as Angelo set up a small table with the inks and needles. There were two tattoos specifically that I would be receiving: the Eye of Horus on my wrist to match Adam's, and a massive light gold tattoo that would start along my left cheekbone, work its way done my jaw and neck, along my left shoulder and down my side, wrapping around my lover tattoo before curling and ending on my outer-mid-thigh. This tattoo would be filled with hieroglyphs detailing my promises to my country and to my gods as Pharaoh of Egypt. They would depict my challenges and my successes, my eternal servitude to Egypt and to Ra himself. After having spent more than ten years at Adam's side and studying his own tattoos, I knew the finished product would be something incredible.

But on my _face_?!

"Love, please," Adam began, cupping my cheeks gently in his large hands. His thumbs smoothed circles under my eyes, "Angelo is going to sedate you, so not only will you be asleep the entire time, but it'll numb you as well so you won't feel it. He's going to take special care of you, I _promise_. And when he's done and you wake, I'll take care of you until the pain fades. I know you have difficulty with the inkings, but this one will be so worth it…"

I sighed softly, looking away from Adam. I didn't want to deny my love, nor did I want to deny my country, but my face… When I received my first tattoos as a pleasure servant, they had been the most painful markings I'd been given—willingly, that it—and the idea of receiving more markings on even more sensitive areas just… I had no desire to show my fear to Adam and to Angelo, but I was certain it was clear as daylight in my eyes.

"How long will I be asleep?" I asked him, hesitantly glancing at Angelo. The elder smiled at me warmly.

"The whole process will take a few days to complete. Our Pharaoh has been gracious enough to allow me to stay until it is finished, and I will maintain the numbing salves on your skin so that you may wake long enough to eat, drink, and rest at night without discomfort." I sighed again, rubbing my temple gently. The numbing properties were going to be a life saver, I knew for sure.

"My face?" I questioned one final time to Adam, and my blue-eyed angel smiled and nodded slowly, kissing me gently.

"Yes, love. It'll be the first thing Angelo does and it'll be the first to heal other than the Eye. When you wake and see the finished product, you'll understand why I wanted this done for you. People thought you a god before, when they see you with your marks they will not question your true grace."

Smiling faintly, I playfully pushed at Adam's chest. He laughed, kissing my cheek tenderly before taking my hands, pulling me up from my seat. He guided me down to our bed before letting me lie down. Angelo had commented that it would be easiest for me to lie down, and if I needed to be moved, Adam could re-position me accordingly. By the sounds of everything, I would be laying on my back and right side for quite a long while after this.

Quietly, I removed my vest and shorts before covering myself with a sheet from the bed. My head rested on one of the plush velvet pillows, my hair fanned around my face as Adam lounged beside me, gently running his fingers through my hair. I looked up at him as Angelo prepared a small needle with the sedative. Adam had suggested that Angelo do my Eye last and while I was still asleep to not only ensure he had the gold he needed but also to allow the more extensive work to begin healing immediately.

Swallowing the lump from my throat, I took hold of Adam's hand before lacing our fingers. The dark-haired king smiled warmly at me before brushing his lips against my forehead. "You're going to be so beautiful, my king," he murmured into my skin and I smirked at him.

"Am I not already to you?" Adam laughed.

"Of course you are. But this…" he brushed his fingers along my left cheekbone, "this will make you shine."

I barely felt the needle poking into my skin before a cool rush traveled along my arm. In no time at all my eyes began to slip shut, but I held onto Adam's hand as tightly as I could before the darkness swam around me and pulled me under.

If I woke up to eat, I couldn't remember it. The only thing I could recall were dreams and Adam's soft voice singing sweet Arabic lullabies to me, warm and soothing to my drugged self. My dreams were something else entirely; things I had never really dreamed before. They were dreams of gold walls and torches, of standing before gods and being admired and praised for my bravery in Persia and my love for Adam, of cool waters and lovemaking in the moonlight, of being dressed in silk robes and touching the hands and faces of my people. They were vivid, bright and were lucid in their wake.

There was one dream, one moment, that stood out the most. It was of Adam and I dressed in identical gold dressings and ruby robes, our crowns placed on our heads, standing upon a balcony together, overlooking our lush and beautiful kingdom. There was prosperity and wealth, happiness and peace. But, even in this dream, I knew we were not present in our kingdom. We were faded spirits, looking upon a land we had long since left behind. Despite this, we were content to be away, to be part of an Afterlife where we could still admire our work together, where we could still _be_ together.

These dreams stayed with me, constantly replaying in an endless cycle until they began to fade. They lost their vivacity, became less clear until I found myself waking, my eyes opening to a room washed in evening light, cool air kissing my warm skin. Slowly, I blinked, letting my vision come more clearly to me as I looked around. The room was empty, the setting sun blazing her glow across my bed and to the far wall. There was warmth and I looked down to see Pharaoh curled up on my lower stomach, purring in his sleep. Smiling softly, I reached down—with great effort, to my surprise; I felt as if my limbs were made of lead— to pet behind his ears. The cat didn't stir.

There was a soft opening of a door before footsteps entered the massive room. I turned my head some to see who was there, though a part of me knew there was no need. Adam stood with a clear jar half-filled with a creamy-yellow salve and a large pitcher of what I had full certainty was water with a small cloth dangling out of the rim. Upon shutting the door, Adam pivoted on his foot and began making his way to the bed before realizing I was awake. Smiling, he came down and sat on the bed beside me.

"Good afternoon, my sleeping beauty," he murmured gently, pressing a kiss to my forehead, "how are you feeling?"

"Like someone is laying on top of me. Why can't I move much?" Adam set the jar beside my arm before setting the pitcher of water between his thighs.

"You've been sleeping with sedatives for the last four and a half days, love. Your body is, no doubt, still heavily drugged," my expression must have been one of shock for Adam chuckled and caressed my cheek, "fear not, it should soon wear off now that you are awake. Your hunger will no doubt return as well; Tommy should be bringing you some food shortly."

I lifted my gaze to meet my husband's, seeing such adoration within. "How do I look?"

"Like a god, my love." I rolled my eyes.

"You've said that before, Adam. It's beginning to lose its charm." It hadn't at all.

"Let me fetch a mirror and you will understand." At this, Adam stood from the bed, setting the pitcher on the floor before walking up to the vanity we both so often used. He grabbed a small, rounded mirror with silver engraving and a few jewels before coming back to my side. He held it up for me to see my reflection, and in a single moment I understood.

Starting along just under my left eye were intricate and delicate swirling hieroglyphics and artistic designs in the lightest gold ink I'd ever seen. It was a faint sort of design, one that could be looked over. But when the light hit perfectly, it glimmered within my flesh. The artistry curled down my cheek, along my throat and down the left half of my being, glistening in the light. It flowed around my pre-existing tattoos with such ease that it seemed as if I'd gotten them all at once instead of years apart. Upon further inspection, I could only gather that Angelo had also done touch ups on a few other inkings, for the colors and lines were bolder and clearer than before.

Reaching up slowly, I touched the surface of my cheek beside the tattoo, careful not to press into the ink itself. The skin was numb, but that bothered me little. I had no intentions of ruining such perfection, so I avoided the gold all together. A small smile stretched across my face before growing wider as I looked over at my lover. He, too, was smiling warmly at me.

"Do you like it?" He asked and I nodded slowly, the stiffness in my being still making it difficult to move. His smile grew to a grin and he bent down, kissing my forehead sweetly. "I knew you would. Didn't I tell you?"

"Only a dozen or so times. Though I imagine you will wish to rub it in a few more, wouldn't you?" Adam laughed, gently caressing my hair with his fingertips.

"I might if the need arises," he murmured, slowly massaging the top of my head with his fingers, "then again, I might even if it doesn't, just to spite you." I rolled my eyes, lightly slapping his hand away from my hair. I set the mirror down beside him before turning my focus to his face. He looked well rested and recently bathed, judging by the fluffy-look his hair had adopted. I reached up, pushing my fingers through his bangs, carefully skimming the side of his head before palming his cheek.

Adam's eyes met mine and he leaned into my touch, bringing his own up to cup the back of my hand. "I love you," he said softly and I chuckled.

"And I, you, my king." Adam bent down, then, and kissed me, warm and lovingly.


	55. I Don't Want to Hide

**Chapter Fifty-Four: I Don't Want to Hide Any Part of Me From You****  
><strong>**Tommy's POV**

Due to his extensive tattoo, Drake wasn't really able to get out of bed. The tattoo took almost five days to complete considering the sheer mass of skin that was actually inked. Once it was completed, Adam let me in to see it while he slept and it was truly beautiful. Despite the slight swelling and redness that ran down the complete left side of Drake's body, I was speechless. In fact, I was more than speechless I couldn't even breathe.

The inking was a very light gold color that spelled out Drake's promises to protect his country and his trials that led up to him becoming Pharaoh, all in hieroglyphics of course. The color barely stood out from his lightly tanned skin and, if you weren't paying attention, you could easily miss the ink all together. When the right light hit it, though? Oh my Ra, he truly shined like the god that he could so easily become.

I couldn't explain it but it was as if, somehow, the inking completed him. Until that moment, he had been wonderful but afterwards, he was absolutely perfect.

Unfortunately the beauty of the tattoo didn't come without consequences. Drake had been sleeping all day and all night for the past several days, only waking every so often to eat as much as his stomach could hold. Adam and I took care to keep Drake clean (since he obviously couldn't bathe in his current state) and constantly refresh the salve application over the ink. Angelo gave the salve to us. It was supposed dull the ache of a healing wound and as well as increasing the healing time. That combined with Drake's constantly sleeping made the recovery time impressively quick for such an extensive tattoo.

Adam wasn't exactly having an easy time being away from Drake. Of course he was physically with the young king but he couldn't actually talk to Drake. He couldn't hold and be held, kiss and be kissed by his love because Drake was almost always unconscious and the times when he actually did wake up, he was only awake for thirty minutes at best. He hardly ever spoke, he was too disoriented and generally when he was conscious, he was in pain.

We could hardly expect much from the poor boy. Adam had talked him into such an extensive tattoo that, once healed, would be completely worth it, but until then, it would be like Hell in a hand basket for my friend. If Drake decided to give Adam a swift kick to the groin, I wouldn't have been surprised. That was only a fraction of the amount of pain he was in and Adam certainly deserved it. I know if I was talked into such a painful procedure with such a long recovery time, I would make the person who convinced me to do it pay for it.

Since Adam was still mentally recovering from his time in Persia and Drake was temporarily unavailable to comfort him, I spent most of my free time with the reinstated Pharaoh. Alex and I were still on ends. He had attempted to reconcile several times for what he had said to me but I just wasn't prepared to forgive him. How easily could you continue to be with the one you loved when you knew that part of your lover was craving the love of someone else?

I supposed that part of me was just feeling guilty about the entire situation. When Alex and I first got together, I was desperately in love with Drake. I wanted Drake with every fiber of my being and I couldn't have him because the young farm boy had fallen in love with the Pharaoh of Egypt and rightfully so. Alex gave me the time I needed to get over Drake but he and Adam had been together years ago. So many years and he had never gotten over the raven-haired king? He had lied to me about it for the entirety of our relationship instead of being honest. If he had been honest, we could have worked through our past loves together.

Instead he chose to lie to me. I despised being lied to more dearly than anything else in this lifetime.

Avoiding him didn't prove to be much of an issue since I spent most of my time with Adam and helping the king care for his beloved. Since Drake was at a state where he actually wanted to murder Alex, my boy didn't come anywhere near the Pharaohs' chambers. There was a moment, I was told, in Persia, where Drake came close to shooting Alex. Apparently Alex had left the duel to help Adam, leaving Drake and the others to fend for themselves and in the heat of battle mixed with blood loss Drake was suffering, he temporarily lost it.

The information frightened me but I didn't believe Drake would have actually been able to pull the trigger on his friend, even if he was at ends with him. Drake had certainly grown from that young virgin we had all swooned over when he was first brought to the palace, that much was certain.

Keeping Adam's mind off of Persia and off of his worries for his lover was a difficult task, but not impossible. The last few days we had spent alone together were truly amazing, for it almost seemed like we had fallen back into a time when neither of us were in a committed (therefore complicated) relationship. As if we were lovers just for the sake of the physical act of love and we were best friends without any form of complication between us. As much as I loved all of the people that had come into our lives and the changes that transpired, sometimes I missed how simple things used to be. It was honestly just nice to be able to relax and talk with Adam.

"I've… Honestly been thinking about…" Adam was saying as we settled into a little nook of the garden. "Erm, nevermind," he amended, sighing up at the clouds. It was a rather beautiful day, one of the cooler ones. It was supposed to rain later in the evening and the rain clouds that rarely formed over Egypt were currently blocking out the sun's harsh rays.

"No, Adam, you can tell me," I said, chuckling a little. The Pharaoh was lying on his back, staring up at the clouds. I elected to lie on my side so I could watch my friend in all of his restored beauty. Drake had done such an amazing job at restoring Adam's body from the abuse it had taken in Persia. We were all still working on the emotional trauma. "You know that."

"It's kind of embarrassing," Adam admitted, glancing sideways for the shortest moment. I barely even caught the glimpse. "But I suppose you're right. I've never had the need to hide things from you before," he confessed, sighing as he worked the fingers of his right hand through his hair. "I haven't been able to be intimate with Drake since I returned from Persia… After what Derek had done to me, I just felt so unworthy of him and every time I think about sleeping with him, I end up talking myself out of it. I desperately crave the physical intimacy that we used to share and I'm certain that he does as well. Well… After this inking he may be too angry with me for putting him through such an ordeal to even think about sleeping with me but…"

"Adam, you're rambling, honey," I informed him, laughing quietly, "listen, Drake doesn't blame you for not being that intimate with him. He understands, I know he does, but if you're craving that closeness too, you need to take him. You don't have to bottom or let him dominate, not unless you're comfortable with him but if you truly want him, you really just need to go for it. Well… After he heals and gets over his anger that is." I couldn't help but laugh again. "It's very possible that he'll never fuck you again, though."

Adam pouted at me but the conversation was short lived. Footsteps sounded on the opposite side of the bushes that concealed us. "Adam…? Tommy…?" I recognized the voice immediately as Alexander. "Are you two out here, I thought I saw you… I… I really need to speak with you both, please," he begged although he sounded extremely nervous.

My eyes met Adam's not a moment later, as if we were silently asking one another if we should expose our position. Alex and I were obviously not on good terms presently and Adam… Well Adam was kind of in a position where he was upset with Alex and his actions but he also had to reject him further for his husband's sake. Alex was upsetting Drake and Drake was Adam's entire life. How, exactly, was the Pharaoh supposed to take his ex-lover's side over Drake's?

"We're… We're over here," Adam finally called to his friend, sitting up straight. There was grass on the back of his clothing and I moved to sweep it away. Alex appeared then, pushing the brush aside so he could step into our little hiding place.

At first he couldn't make eye contact with either of us, he simply stared down at his sandals. "I know I'm not exactly the person either of you want to see right now, especially since you're both so worried about Drake…" he said slowly and sighed, rubbing one arm nervously with the opposite hand. Over the years I had been able to learn Alex's tells, when he was scared, when he was aroused, when he was lonely and when he was uncomfortable. His body language gave him away every time.

"What is it, Alex, don't beat around the bush," Adam said. It was not unkind, nor was it friendly, it was simply a command. In a way, it was a relief to hear, since it finally proved that Adam was slowly working his way back into his former glory as Pharaoh.

A few moments of silence passed between us and finally, finally, Alex lowered himself to the ground to sit opposite Adam and I. "I've been trying to catch you two for days now," he said. "Since I knew that Drake was resting. He is incredibly angry with me presently and I cannot blame him but I must talk to you both. You need to know the truth and… And I don't believe that Drake will give me the chance. No offense is intended, of course and please do not take it that way—"

"Alex," I said, pulling him back from his rambling.

"I'm sorry…" he finally said. "I'm so very sorry that I never told either of you how I felt." His eyes lifted from his hands to look at Adam for a moment and then me. "Please believe me when I say that I know you are not mine, Adam, that you belong to Drake. I also had no intentions of allowing my lingering feelings to influence my actions—"

"But they did influence your actions, didn't they?" Adam asked, cutting him off. Clearly Adam was still extremely displeased with the way Alex had treated Drake when the young king first took his throne.

"Yes… I assure you that it was all subconscious. I am jealous of Drake, honestly, how could I not be? He's like me and yet he's nothing at all like me. He's so much better, so much prettier… I cannot help but be jealous of him but I love him also. When the Persians took you and Drake came home unharmed-for the most part-it was just so easy to blame him, to think that I could do better. I was mentally making myself feel better and I didn't realize that it had shown through my actions until it was far too late," Alex admitting, shame blazing in his stormy gray eyes. Usually they were so vibrant and blue and now they were damaged, engulfed in pain and sorrow. "I never meant to hurt him and I certainly never meant to hurt the two of you."

"And your… lingering feelings? Alex, I love you and you know that, but I am no longer in love with you. My heart belongs to Drake now and as much as that may hurt you, I cannot change it. I will not leave him," Adam said cautiously but it needed to be said. There was a bit of what I knew to be pain in Alex's expression but he nodded on.

He then turned to look at me, almost as if Adam wasn't there at all. "My feelings for Adam do not influence my feelings for you, Tommy," he said. "You must know that just because part of me will always remain with Adam, that part is buried in the past. For a while I was confused… I was in pain and I didn't know what I was supposed to do, especially after everything that happened in Persia but my relationship with Adam is dead. It was so long ago and it will never revive."

"I…" I truly didn't know what to say. Alex's words were bittersweet. On one hand, he loved me, but on the other? He was still in love with Adam. I had to give him the benefit of the doubt considering that part of my heart would always belong to Drake. I could relate to him if nothing else and perhaps that was why we were such a good couple (minus the last few weeks, that is). "Alex, I love you and you know that, but I won't be second… I can't be. If this is a sort of love the one you're with type situation, I don't think it's for the best. If you're only with me because you can't have Adam—"

"No!" Alex shouted rather forcefully. "No, Tommy, you aren't second to Adam! I love you, so much. You have made me so happy and I cannot image ending my days without you. I cannot image taking anyone else. Please, please! You must know in your heart that my words are nothing less than the truth. I know I have been acting rather crazy as of late and I cannot make excuses for my behavior, but Tommy, I couldn't live with myself knowing that I was using someone as amazing as you to fill a void in my life for years. You and I have helped one another recover from some of the worst types of heartache and just because my love for Adam remains does not mean that I love you less."

Adam slowly stood up, brushing himself off. "I'll give you two some space…" he said quietly, glancing from me to Alex. While he and Alex still had some things to work out, he realized that this no longer concerned him and he needed to go. Part of me didn't want to be left alone though. "Alex, you and I will talk later," he added. "And you will also need to make things right with Drake." With that, he disappeared, probably to go and check on his love.

Alex and I both watched him depart and once his footsteps faded, we turned back to face one another. "Alex," I said quietly, slowly pushing myself up onto my hands and knees so I could crawl over to him. "I'm not ready to put an end to our relationship and as long as I am not second to Adam, I will forgive you… You've never held my love for Drake against me and I owe you the same."

Our eyes were locked on one another and tears were forming in his eyes. "You could never be second to anyone, Tommy and I am so terribly sorry for ever making you feel as if you were…" he said, slowly wrapping his arms around my neck. My arms came to rest around his waist and I pulled him to me, kissing him gently. It didn't last long, but it was as loving as I could manage.

"You know you have to fix things with Adam and Drake as well. As long as you are fighting, there will never be peace."

"I know. I'm trying to figure out how to make it all up to Drake but I have made so many mistakes I just don't know how… I'm just thankful that he is asleep for twenty hours a day currently. Gives me some time to think," Alex muttered, his forehead pressed to mine.

"I'll help you," I assured him, my heart finally calming. Thankfully Alex and I could finally start patching up. Our situation certainly wasn't perfect and we weren't back to normal, but it was a start.


	56. I Will Never Stop Losing My Breath

**Chapter Fifty-Five: I Will Never Stop Losing My Breath Every Time I See You Looking Back At Me  
>Eric's POV<strong>

Adam and Drake had been home for nearly three to four months. The war with Persia was over—I'd overheard from Cassidy that the late King's advisors and the people of Persia had crowned a new king, a man with promise—and everything was falling back into a sort of familiar comfort. Hiei and Cassidy were inseparable. Mama was reunited with Drake's biological father and first love—as much as I did not desire to admit it, she looked so happy, and Sebastian was good for her. Tommy and Alex were trying to patch up their shaken relationship after the fiasco they'd suffered.

There was no doubt that, while things were stitching themselves back together, there was some work to be done. Those who had gone to Persia had come back changed. Of course Adam was different; he'd been imprisoned for a year, tortured mercilessly. Cassidy and Alex had moments of paranoia and anxiety. They jumped at obscenely loud noises and actively avoided intense confrontations. It was natural, as sad as it was. But it was natural, none the less. They were coming off of a stressful endeavor, and such things took time to heal from.

But… Drake, I believed, had changed the most of everyone. He was still the same loving and caring older brother that he had always been. He was still supportive of Adam, was a grateful and careful lover. But there was a part of him that was reserved as a man. If he wasn't with Adam, he was quiet and withdrawn, holed up within himself. Drake was not one to be shut away. Contemplative, yes, but this was something else all together with my brother. Something that I was concerned of if not terrified for.

Drake was not a man to consider suicide. But during Adam's absence, his depression had thickened to levels no one could have imagined. Had Tommy not been there, I would have lost my brother. Mama would have lost a son. Those of the palace would have lost a friend, a confidante. Egypt would have lost a king. Adam would have lost the only thing to keep him alive.

At any rate, Drake's tentative nature since returning had left me a little more than worried. I knew he wouldn't do anything rash but.. oh, Gods, he'd been home for four months and I had barely said a word to him. I had yet to talk to my brother, console him in any way he needed or even to just tell him I was glad he was home and well and that I hadn't lost him, too. I'd lost Anna and it shattered everything… if Drake had died in Persia.. I wasn't sure what I would do. What I would do for Mama, or Amalia, or Hayden and Jonah…

We never thought of the very-real possibility that, with Drake being the king of Egypt, his life would be in danger. And not even just with foreign dangers but dangers here at home. Though much time had passed, we all still remembered, quite vividly, the attacks on Tommy, Adam and Drake as well. The horrors we suffered and the fact that we very nearly lost all three of them. The worst potential threats before Drake was taken away was a hustle on the street, a poor day in the markets. Now there were threats of murder and blindsiding.

I knew it took a toll on Mama. She was always so worried about Drake and his health, and when he'd gone to Persia for Adam, she damn near had a heart attack. To wake up and find that he, Cassidy and Alex were gone? She cried so much that day, and stayed holed up in her room, watching the stairs of the palace for when they might return. Hayden stayed with her, even in his growing adulthood years—it still baffled me that he was now eighteen when he was such a young, shy thing—he was still her baby and still clung to her when she was sad.

I'd done my best for Mama, too, when I wasn't counseling my younger siblings or those young, fearful servants who'd only known of Adam and Drake's kindness for a short time but loved them all the same. During Adam and eventually Drake's disappearance, the entire kingdom had been in a standstill, awaiting their joint return. Prayers were uttered charms made, wishes of wellness given. These people—Adam and Drake's people—were so full of faith and of hope that even I, someone of royalty through marriage, felt their sheer strength and power in their presence.

When the word had been given unto the people that Adam and Drake had returned safe and well, there was much rejoicing. Neighbors came together to celebrate, strangers danced together in the streets. For an entire month the people of Egypt thanked the Gods and praised one another for prayers and faith. There hadn't been such happiness since the pharaohs' wedding. It was touching. But my brother and brother-in-law had little chance to participate in such revelry. They were recovering, Drake from physical wounds and at Adam's absence, Adam for his tortures and suffering.

I knew, though, that now it had been four months since their return that the people were anxious to be in the presence of their kings again. While, perhaps in old days, it was not common for the pharaoh to grace the common folk with his unabashed and simple presence, Drake and Adam were of a different, gentler sort. They'd always wanted to be connected to their people, to help each and every one of them in whatever way was possible. Since their return, they had been unable to pay visit to the city center and to behold their citizens. While they could hardly be faulted, the Egyptians were still full of wanting.

Fortunately for them, that conglomerate want could be appeased. Adam and Drake had bathed, dressed, and gussied themselves up for their trip into the center. Adam looked better than ever before; he was still thin, still rather frail from his time spent in Persia. One could see it in his face and his hands—his cheeks were still hollow and his wrists and fingers slimmer than before. But he'd regained health, weight, and pallor to his skin. He regained his pride. As for Drake, now sporting his final pharaoh markings, held a radiance both in physicality and aura. He looked bathed in gold, touched by the hands of Gods. If the people did not faint from their kings' presence, they would at the sight of my brother's attractive beauty.

In their errand, I'd stolen away for some time alone with my love, Sauli. In the welcoming of our kings, as well as my own bashfulness, we'd had little time to spend to ourselves. We stole kisses and small, gentle moments of intimacy when we could, but they were few and far between for our tastes. And today, now that our kings had managed to pry themselves from the confines of the palace, I held every intention of spending my afternoon with Sauli.

Pulling off my silken green and gold hemmed robe, I snatched up a loose fitting linen white shirt with three-quarter sleeves, pulling it on over my head, slipping my arms into it before smoothing it down over my stomach. I tucked it into a pair of white pants that clung nicely to my thighs, flaring and pooling out before cinching in tight at my ankles with gold embroidery. Slipping my feet into my leather sandals, I slid into a gold vest before making my way out of my room in search of Sauli.

I did not need to look far or long, for I found him laying in the throne room upon a large plush cushion, wearing my twin outfit but in gold with white, the sleek black and adorable Pharaoh perched on his chest. His long fingers slid through the cat's glossy fur, his smile bright and radiant and the cat nudged into his palm, meowing softly. I smiled, walking closer to him, my footsteps catching his attention. He turned his head, looking to me.

"Eric," he said softly, smiling more, "what brings you?" I sat beside him on the edge of the cushion, tucking a finger under Pharaoh's chin, scratching softly before leaning down to kiss Sauli slowly.

"I thought I'd take a walk to find you. Adam and Drake are out for the afternoon, Mama is with Sebastian, my siblings are doing their own things. I had little else to do and wanted to be with you." Sauli's eyes softened as he kissed me again, his free hand reaching up to touch my face.

"I was about to come fetch you, actually," Sauli said against my lips. Beside us, Pharaoh huffed and jumped off from Sauli's chest, leaving us now that we were ignoring him, "I was wondering if you'd like to go to that spring with me just outside of the city? The one I told you about?"

"That sounds lovely. And it's warm enough that we could go for a swim." I kissed his nose, sitting up slowly. I took Sauli's hand, helping pull him to his feet before walking with him to the garage just behind the palace.

"Should we not gather some necessities? Swim wear? Food? Drink?" I smiled at Sauli.

"No, love," I told him, "there is fruit at the spring, the water drinkable, and swim wear is hardly a necessity." I smirked, weaving my fingers through his. His eyes glowed with the realization of my mischief, and he smirked back at me before sticking close to my side.

We made our way into the garage, finding a motorbike large enough for the two of us to ride together. Snatching up two helmets, I handed one to Sauli as he reached around me, pressing two buttons to start the engine of the bike. Strapping on my helmet, I pulled out of the garage, feeling Sauli's arms wrap around my waist as we took off out into the hot afternoon.

The sun was high and the sand hot as warm air kissed our skin, our clothes flapping in the breeze as I drove us towards the spring. It was some twenty miles or so from the palace, off in its own oasis of sorts with a few outlying clusters of trees and plants surrounding it. It was quaint and quiet, secluded from everything else with the exception of a few desert animals that tended to prowl the sands. For the most part, though, they only ventured out at night when it was cooler.

The drive was quick, and Sauli never moved his arms from around my waist. His added body heat made the air and the sun difficult to bear, but his hold on me was a comfort I would not sacrifice for any moment of cold, and my shirt was damp around my middle by the time we pulled into the oasis. I stopped the engine, frowning when Sauli's arms left my torso. In a fluid motion, I unclipped my helmet and removed it, shaking out my hair for a brief moment to air out my scalp.

Fingers dove into my locks and Sauli pulled my head back, kissing me hard. I moaned deeply, the helm slipping from my fingers, clattering into the sand as Sauli deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue between my teeth dominating me in wet heat. Warmth and pleasure stirred in my bones, rousing my linen clad member to half-hardness by the time Sauli pulled away with a soft pop of our lips. Moaning softly, I looked up into his bright blue eyes, licking my lips slowly.

"What was that for?" I asked playfully, gently trailing my fingers down his chest. He smirked some, running his fingers through my hair.

"You pulled your helmet off and shook your hair like you were a model for a man's wet dream, and I had to have you," he pressed another kiss to my lips, pulling a moan from deep within my chest. I chased his mouth as he slipped away, whining as I watched him peel off his vest and his shirt, "Come along, love."

Growling, I slipped off of the bike, tearing off my vest, dropping it in the sand as I pressed myself to his back, leaving kisses in his neck and shoulders, my half-hard on nudging between his firm cheeks. He gasped, pressing back into me for a moment, "G-Gods, Eric…" he moaned, reaching back to grab at my hair as I nipped at his neck just below his ear, earning a quiet groan, "ohh, fuck…"

I slipped my hands into his trousers, stroking him to match my own ache, grinding my hips into his lower back, rubbing against him softly. His stuttered gasps and quiet whines were sending pleasurable shivers down my spine, and I growled into his neck, "Sauli…"

"Water," he said, managing to pry himself from my hold. His face was red and his eyes were blazing with want, "it'll be cooler…"

Nodding, I tugged Sauli's pants down to his knees as he lifted the hem of my shirt to my under arms. I raised them, letting him pull my shirt off over my head before he, too, made quick work of my trousers. Naked, the two of us took hands and raced to the spring, jumping in once we touched the edge of the sand. The water was cool, refreshing, and so clear that I could see every detail, every line and curve and rippling muscle in Sauli's slender figure beneath its surface.

Coming up for a breath, I dipped back under, kissing Sauli hard, breathing into him until his lungs were filled with me, and then he returned the succulent gift right back. Pleasure burned through my veins, my cock aching heavily between my gently kicking legs as we came up again. Sauli's hands fisted themselves into my hair, pulling hard as he kissed me again, his legs winding around my waist, holding himself against me. I groaned into his mouth, looping one arm around his hips, my free hand cupping along his jaw, my thumb pressed under his chin as we kissed.

We stayed like that for a moment or two, breaking only when we couldn't stand another moment without breath. I kept my hand clasped against his neck, resting my forehead against his as we caught our breath. Now and then we'd steal soft, sweet kisses, quiet mewls falling from Sauli's lips, hushed moans from mine. Between our stomachs I could feel Sauli's erection, heavy, hard and burning in the coolness of the water.

Chastely, I kissed him again, sliding my hand along his hip, "What if I told you I wanted you.. right here and now in these waters…" I whispered, kissing Sauli's jaw. In my arms he moaned, tilting his head back to expose a long expanse of neck, glistening from the water, begging to be marked with my love.

"What if I said I've wanted you since that day in the library where I kissed you… that I've dreamt of you having me in whatever way you wanted, from now until forever…" I felt my heart stutter erratically in my chest, and I weakly kissed his throat.

"If I said I loved you…"

"I would say I loved you, too," my eyes met Sauli's. I could see my reflection, my shock and my awe in his irises. He smiled at me, caressing my face with his fingers, "I would say I want you to have me until the end of time and into the After. I would say I want your love, only yours.."

"Sauli…"

"Take me," Sauli's hand dipped into the water, reaching to grab my erection, shifting to press it to his hole as best as he could in his position. I gasped as I felt the heat of his entrance, the tight ring of muscle relaxing to accommodate me, "take me, Eric. Make love to me. Make me yours."

I kissed him hard, pressing him against a warm boulder that was embedded into the sand at the bottom of the spring, poking its grey head above the surface. Sauli arched some, moaning loudly as I pressed deeper into him, the head of my swollen cock pushing past the rim of his entrance, pulsing at the persistence of his muscles until it broke past and slid into him some. I gasped, feeling Sauli's body clench and unclench around me, his heart beat vibrating through his skin into my being. Darkness fluttered across my vision as he squeezed my cock, muscles twitching as they began to relax.

Sauli's fingers dug into my hair, nails of his opposite hand cutting into my shoulder as he gasped softly, arching off of the rock. The sun glistened in the diamond drops of water that clung to his hair, the sheen of water across his skin slowly drying in the heat. He glistened in the light, lips red and swollen, eyelashes thick as they fluttered over the tops of his cheeks. His hands relaxed and he pulled me closer, kissing me slowly, deeply, moaning harshly into my mouth.

His fingers tightened in my hair, pulling once. At this, I growled, snapping my hips lightly into him, thrusting ever as gently as I could. Beneath me he whined, legs curling tighter, drawing me deeper. I moaned as his body clenched around my cock, warm and smooth. My tongue felt heavy in my mouth while the pleasure boiled, and so I kissed him again.

The world was spinning off of its axis as I rolled my hips again, slowly taking him with short, gentle thrusts. He was tight, trying to relax, to adjust and make the slide easier. But we were going at this without prep, without lube. We weren't prepared, but there was something about such a situation that made everything… heightened. The burn of forcing myself into him was causing me to stutter when I tried to breathe. My heart pounded harder the deeper he dug his nails and his heels into my skin.

It took a few moments and several short thrusts to be able to drag my length in and out of him. I kept the pace gentle, loving and passionate, but my thrusts were deeper and longer now. I could, though just barely, breathe with him and with our movements, inhaling as I pushed, exhaling as I slid. Sauli's pained grip loosened until he was grappling at me, holding on as each thrust touched a new sensation inside of him. Incoherent words and moans babbled from his lips like a brook over rocks, fluid and cool.

When my motions became as fluid as the breeze that touched our skin, I leaned in to kiss his throat. That highway of flesh and heat pulsed under my lips as I bit into the softness of him, sucking tenderly. I peppered his throat and neck with purple and blue marks that only darkened as I made love to him.

Sauli moaned and mewled louder and louder the deeper I thrust, the snap of my hips becoming harsher, harder, and quicker in their force. We were close at this point, tumbling and rolling down the hill towards the cliff that would send us over the edge and into a blissful oblivion. Gently I grabbed Sauli's hand, lacing our fingers, pressing our grasped hands to the smooth rock above his head. He kept his free one on my hip, clawing and groping at my skin as I reached down to take his swollen length into hand, pumping in time with my thrusts.

Sauli arched into me, crying out, face and skin hued in red and passion. His legs tightened so much that I could barely thrust at all, left only to grind into what I could imagine must have been a most pleasurable spot, for he wailed and gasped and cried as he came onto my stomach, hot, pearly strands of white lacing themselves over my skin. Squeezing Sauli's hand, I clenched my jaw, humping hard into him before shouting, pleasure exploding in every fiber of my being as I, too, came, deep inside of him.

I had never bedded a man before. Nor had I bedded a woman. I had kissed and touched women before, but I'd never had them. I never imagined having a man beneath me, writhing in ecstasy from my touch. And though I was young, comparatively inexperience to, perhaps, my brother and my friends in the arts of loving, I knew what pleasured me, and could only apply such knowledge to that of my lover. And after watching him come undone under me, to have his seed splattered on my skin from my kisses, my touches, and my love making was more than I could bear. I knew, then, that I would never want to bed another, man or woman.

Gasping heavily, I leaned against Sauli, the two of us sliding a little more into the water, still firmly pressed to the boulder. His eyes were shut, lips parted as he gasped for breath. I panted into his shoulder, feeling the waters wash away his seed. I was sad at this, for I had not been able to revel in my lover's passion before it was cleansed from me. But something told me I would have plenty of opportunities yet.

Gently, I kissed Sauli's neck, my limbs refusing to even twitch let alone move. He moaned weakly, voice wrecked. "Gods," he whispered, hoarse and cracking as the word trailed off, "that… I can't..even.."

I smiled, leaning heavily into him. "Good?" I asked.

"Incredible… best I've ever… had.." It hadn't occurred to me at all that Sauli had had sex before. That, prior to him coming to Egypt, and coming into my life, that it was his life, to bed others. It hadn't mattered. It still didn't.

"I'm glad.." I told him, kissing his skin again. Exhaustion pooled into my bones. I wanted to stay inside of him forever under the heat of the sun with the water swirling around us.

Sauli turned his head, kissing me slowly, "I love you."

"And I, you… so much." He smiled.

"You better." I chuckled, chasing his mouth.

"How could I not?" I told him, kissing him again and again.


	57. Author's Note

Hey guys.  
>I am incredibly sorry that it's been nearly a year since I last updated AE. My collaborator and I are in the throngs of managing school and work. I just recently moved to a different state, so I'm still trying to get used to a few changes.<br>We have not (completely) forgotten AE. But I cannot promise when it will be updated.  
>Ideally, someday, it will be. But that is a promise I cannot comfortably make.<br>However, I am in the process of editing and revising Naeemah Baniti, the first part of the series, with the intention of publishing it for myself and my collaborator.  
>This is an incredibly heavy <strong>if<strong>,but if it goes well and I am able to make something of an income, I _might_ consider selling the edited and published version.  
>Because of this idea, I <strong>will not<strong> post the updated version here, on deviantART, or ArchiveofOurOwn.  
>It is not set in stone, since it weighs on my financial aidpotentially getting a job.  
>But it is a possibility.<br>I am sorry that we've been so lax with our stories, but life has taken us in a new direction.  
>Should we decide that we are discontinuing it-I will have to talk to Amber about this-but I might post a general synopsis of how the story would have ended.<br>Again, I'm really sorry about this. I wish I had better or at least more definite news.  
>If you want to find out more updates regarding fanfictions or publications, you can follow the new twitter account I made specifically for fanfictions. The link can be found on my profile.<p> 


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